1
as in fake
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
an unctuous effort to appear religious to the voters
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in oily
overly or insincerely flattering
an unctuous appraisal of the musical talent shown by the boss's daughter
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unctuous
At times, the display of closeness felt a bit unctuous, as when Musk praised Trump for his gold-heavy interior design makeover of the Oval Office.
—
Niall Stanage, The Hill, 30 May 2025
The frenzied yet articulate tenor Gerhard Siegel, a veteran Herod, oozes unctuous entitlement.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Then Maddy unexpectedly turns on the humor and charm when Austin’s Hollywood agent Saul — played with unctuous insincerity by Dave Rivas — arrives to talk business.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
Those suspects include the bartender (Gabrielle Ryan), a sad sack of a man on a blind date (Reed Diamond), an imperious hostess (Sarah McCormack), and an unctuous, boozy piano player (Ed Weeks).
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unctuous
Niall Stanage, The Hill, 30 May 2025
The frenzied yet articulate tenor Gerhard Siegel, a veteran Herod, oozes unctuous entitlement.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Then Maddy unexpectedly turns on the humor and charm when Austin’s Hollywood agent Saul — played with unctuous insincerity by Dave Rivas — arrives to talk business.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
Those suspects include the bartender (Gabrielle Ryan), a sad sack of a man on a blind date (Reed Diamond), an imperious hostess (Sarah McCormack), and an unctuous, boozy piano player (Ed Weeks).
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unctuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unctuous
Adjective
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Colbert made several jokes about needing a job and even brought a fake resume with a youthful headshot of himself.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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The Nepalese government, citing concerns over fake accounts, hate speech, disinformation and fraud, said the measures were to ensure accountability and make operators responsible for content on their platforms.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Touch screens are the worst, thanks to the constant exposure to our oily fingers.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 2025
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It can be caused by a number of different triggers, including certain medical conditions, hair care habits, dry scalp, hormone fluctuations, overproduction of a naturally-occurring yeast on the scalp and oily skin.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The addition of the Warlock-like floaty jump (sorry, there are just a lot of Destiny things) is very good, as is the base level double jump all characters have.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The patterns will suit any stripe preference, from the wider Pembroke in pine green and sandstone to the mini- and double-stripe options.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
One defense, beginning in the late eighteen-hundreds, was flypaper, sheets of which were coated on one side with an oleaginous substance that lured flies, then permanently trapped them.—
David Owen,
The New Yorker,
27 July 2024
-
Ted Cruz, the perennial front-runner, is smug and oleaginous—hated equally by his colleagues and the public.—
Alex Shephard,
The New Republic,
26 Sep. 2022
Adjective
-
The pop of color offers a shimmer-free (rare!) means of warming up a wedding look and works equally well at lip level.—
Calin Van Paris,
Vogue,
12 Aug. 2025
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By After Testing Over 30 Best Sellers By Siena Gagliano Unlike balms, which can make lip color slide around, a primer locks it in while keeping lips soft and comfortable.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The sickening moment of Kirk's murder was captured on video and has been viewed by tens of millions of people.—
Melissa Galbraith,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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The song comments on the sickening glee that’s been spread in some corners in the aftermath of Kirk’s death.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Strong applications are not built on superficial prestige or last-minute resume padding.—
Liz Doe Stone,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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See, this is the problem with our superficial Instagram culture.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
One of the main challenges facing the economy is the strained relationship between Beijing and Washington as disputes over technology and geopolitics mount.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
15 Sep. 2025
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Photothek via Getty Images Against the backdrop of a strained labour market, many workers feel obliged to overperform.—
Alliance Manchester Business School,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unctuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unctuous. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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