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
Stir-fry noodle dishes like crystal-clear glassy jap chae ($19) and chewy udon ($19) noodles deliver more simple comfort, tossed with tender-crisp veggies in unctuous soy and oyster sauces, respectively.
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Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2024
The 31-year-old sherry bomb explodes in torrents of coconut and pineapple fruit before an unctuous, lingering finish of tobacco smoke.
—Brad Japhe, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024
Needs a few years to better harmonize into a more unctuous delight.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024
And as unctuous as the IBA proved to be, their leaders made a fair point about IOC grift that has remained a stain on the Olympic movement: why, exactly, do members receive five-star accommodation and ludicrous per diems while many athletes struggle to survive?
—Sean Gregory / Paris, TIME, 11 Aug. 2024
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for unctuous
Adjective
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Here are the best fake car ads and parodies celebrating SNL's 50th anniversary.—
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Read More: The 22 Most Controversial Saturday Night Live Moments Best Ad Break Over the show’s five decades, SNL has created ads for some memorably fake products.—
Adjective
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This soothing effect makes aloe vera a quick-absorbing, non-greasy moisturizer for all types of skin, including oily skin.—
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This can lead to dandruff and its characteristic oily, flaky patches of skin forming on the scalp.5 This is one reason why dandruff is more common in the colder months—your skin is more likely to be drier, and your scalp is more vulnerable.—
Adjective
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The bathroom stood out with a double vanity, a large walk-in shower, L’Occitane bath products, and generous lighting for easy primping.—
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Off the back of its constructors’ win last year, both drivers know the target going into this year has to be a title double.—
Adjective
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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.—
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At any moment, the noodles might dissolve, the cheese topping burn, the dish collapse into a soggy, oleaginous mess.—
Adjective
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For lip color, reach for the Merit Beauty Signature lipsticks.—
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While lip reading is commonly used as a way for those with hearing disabilities to understand speech and conversations, it’s also called upon for legal matters and police investigations.—
Adjective
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Every day a new person emerges as a magnificent hero or a sickening villain.—
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This whole tragic final sequence plays out with a sense of sickening inevitability, like an ugly, violent domino effect.—
Adjective
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His estranged daughter Alexandra (Lizzy Caplan), a Congresswoman whose superficial resemblance to a real-life New York City politician with nearly the same name isn’t the least bit coincidental, is never around.—
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These meaningful relationships can open doors, provide support and inspire growth in ways that superficial connections simply can’t match.—
Adjective
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The Sea Lions should get deeper before the playoffs with the return of 6-8 senior forward Wynton Brown, who has missed most of the past two weeks with a strained elbow ligament.—
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The consequences are often deeply personal: sleepless nights, strained relationships and a constant sense of unease about who’s watching.—
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Cite this Entry
“Unctuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unctuous. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
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