1
as in fake
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
an unctuous effort to appear religious to the voters
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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
The bun was buttery and slightly sweet, the pickles and mustard lended a bit of tang to the unctuous beef patties smothered in melty American cheese, and the sweet-but-slightly-spicy Sassy Sauce brought it all together without overpowering any other flavors.
—
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
Some bars are dry on the tongue, others are unctuous.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Field peas, red rice and the best part — oxtail — cooked down, down and down again into a warm, unctuous delight.
—Timothy Depeugh, Charlotte Observer, 15 Jan. 2026
The prospectors liked to compare the warm, unctuous caress of the silt on their legs and thighs to the kisses of ten thousand lips, rather than imagine that the river had nothing to offer them—except mud.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unctuous
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
Some bars are dry on the tongue, others are unctuous.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Field peas, red rice and the best part — oxtail — cooked down, down and down again into a warm, unctuous delight.
—Timothy Depeugh, Charlotte Observer, 15 Jan. 2026
The prospectors liked to compare the warm, unctuous caress of the silt on their legs and thighs to the kisses of ten thousand lips, rather than imagine that the river had nothing to offer them—except mud.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unctuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unctuous
Adjective
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The difference between a real deadline, imposed for legitimate reasons from without, and a fake one, conjured from within, is like the difference between eating brunch and seeing it on Instagram.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
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Later, O’Brien touted a fake company tasked with reformatting movies for smaller and smaller handheld devices, but the joke missed the mark.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Yellowish stool can be associated with oily and greasy foods, which should be avoided on GLP-1s.—
Nicole Hernandez,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
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Glamour contributor Mary Honkus expected this to have an oily consistency, but instead the texture feels thick and silky.—
Danielle Sinay,
Glamour,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Authorities have arrested a suspect in the fatal double shooting that left two teenagers dead last Tuesday evening, according to city officials.—
CBS News Atlanta Staff,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
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In a rare confluence, Nowruz, the Persian new year, fell on the same day — making Friday a double holiday for many Iranians.—
Siham Shamalakh,
Washington Post,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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His widow doesn’t exactly look too broken up; less than a week after his death, Lee spots her snuggling with Dale’s brother Donald, an oleaginous candidate for governor played by Kyle MacLachlan.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Sep. 2025
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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
Adjective
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On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tatianna points to cinnamon as a conductor of heat—one commonly used in lip plumper products to achieve a sultry pout.—
Essence,
Essence,
23 Nov. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Thanks to Epperson’s goal from the front-left side of the crease in the second OT, the Pioneers avoided a sickening taste of déjà vu.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
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Every repeat viewing of Abraham's performance reveals some new moment of humiliation — some fresh sickening glimmer of anguish that feels all too familiar.—
Devan Coggan,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In a rare public tirade against a member of their ranks, leaders insisted that Orbán must respect the 27-nation bloc's decision in December to fund Ukraine's armed forces and strained economy for the next two years.—
LORNE COOK,
Arkansas Online,
20 Mar. 2026
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Quentin Grimes scored 27 points as the 76ers ended a five-game road losing streak and won for the fourth time in their last six games playing without their two biggest stars — Joel Embiid (strained right oblique) and Tyrese Maxey (finger).—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The Social Security Administration sent a gushy, questionable email July 4 to millions of people collecting Social Security benefits and others.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
21 July 2025
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The chatter has only grown in recent days, after Ms. Anderson — who just celebrated a birthday — posted a story on her Instagram account, showing a lavish bouquet of flowers and a gushy card from an admirer.—
Jesse McKinley,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Unctuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unctuous. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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