How to Use cloying in a Sentence

cloying

adjective

• After a while, the softness of his voice becomes cloying.
• Coconut milk and brown sweet rice combine to make a rich, silky dessert that isn’t cloying.
  — Sunset, 22 Jan. 2018
• Sweet ― but not cloying ― the tasty drink is low in alcohol (5.5% ABV), light on the palate and very thirst-quenching.
  — Marc Ramirez, Dallas News, 24 Jan. 2020
• The scent was floral without being cloying, and was nice to burn year-round.
  — Nena Farrell, WIRED, 14 Dec. 2023
• Smiley strives to avoid a cloying tale about getting along.
  — Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2020
• A huge pot bubbles on the stove at the yellow guest house for hours, filling the air with the cloying redolence of burning tires.
  — Cheryl Katz, Smithsonian, 17 Jan. 2017
• The bourbon pecan pie was a rich, gooey wedge that avoided being too cloying.
  — Suzanne Loudermilk, baltimoresun.com, 23 June 2017
• The slightly sweet, cloying fragrance of rotting foliage hung in the air.
  — Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2018
• When done right, the cafecito will be sweet but not cloying, covered in a rich, creamy head that’ll stick to your hipster mustache — and your ribs.
  — Carlos Frías, miamiherald, 29 Mar. 2018
• Some were a bit heavy and sweet—cloying and alcoholic—the sort that might scare a potential Sauternes fan away.
  — Lettie Teague, WSJ, 24 Aug. 2018
• When the cabin door closed, a sugary, cloying scent wafted through.
  — Nick Miroff, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2019
• But right now, in 2017, the dry humps of R&B sometimes feel like Drakkar Noir — a cloying attempt at seduction.
  — Allison P. Davis, The Cut, 10 Dec. 2017
• Their bedroom walls are painted a not-too-cloying shade of pink — but just two-thirds up, because while the girls adore pink, Dan doesn’t.
  — Marni Elyse Katz, BostonGlobe.com, 25 July 2019
• The cloying, dull pain of chafing or blisters is one of the biggest backpacking killjoys.
  — Joe Jackson, Outside Online, 23 Apr. 2018
• But there are times when even that team spirit is excessive and cloying.
  — Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2021
• The texture is light and not too cloying, and the oil absorbs quickly with no greasy sensation to complain about.
  — Flora Tsapovsky, Southern Living, 19 May 2021
• The skin is green and the flesh is intense and complex in flavor, with a melon character and a cloying sweetness.
  — Noris Ledesma, miamiherald, 22 June 2017
• Voilà dips deep enough into the tropes to be charming without being cloying.
  — Dominic Armato, azcentral, 3 Jan. 2020
• The chocolate-caramel-sea-salt and Oreo versions pack the most flavor without being too cloying.
  — Daliah Singer, The Know, 10 July 2019
• The bourbon is an official salute to the season, while the Campari tarts things up just enough to keep it from being too cloying for the weather.
  — Paula Forbes, GQ, 30 Sep. 2017
• At the end of each episode, a cash award is given to the baby or engagement announcement with the most cloying gimmick!
  — Lucas Kavner, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2017
• The sour cream in both the cake and frosting temper what could otherwise be a cloying confection.
  — Becky Krystal, The Denver Post, 23 Oct. 2019
• The coconut flavor verges on the edge of overpowering but stops just short of being cloying.
  — Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2019
• The amenities and service are spot-on without being cloying.
  — Madeleine Luckel, Vogue, 7 Sep. 2017
• For too long, fruity beers have been cloying, or overly fruity, or simply gross—the high-femme counterpoint to a pumpkin stout that no one asked for.
  — Marian Bull, GQ, 2 July 2018
• Both the tequila and the honey add sweetness, but the matcha lends an earthiness that cuts into the sugar and keeps it from being cloying.
  — Meg Lappe, SELF, 7 Oct. 2017
• There are moments that are a bit cloying, but with love some of that is certainly permitted.
  — David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2021
• Danishes have never been my thing, probably because so many of them in the world are squishy and cloying.
  — Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2019
• Its date-honey vinaigrette was in no way cloying, and a swipe of labneh brought in a nicely dense creaminess that stood up to fluffy-chewy farro.
  — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2023
• The twinkly score, by Benedict Taylor and Naren Chandavarkar, is intrusive and cloying.
  — Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Sep. 2017

Last Updated: 28 May 2024