as in oily
overly or insincerely flattering
the office manager greeted the corporate bigwigs with an oleaginous welcome that should have embarrassed him
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Recent Examples of oleaginous
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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David Owen, The New Yorker, 27 July 2024
At any moment, the noodles might dissolve, the cheese topping burn, the dish collapse into a soggy, oleaginous mess.
—Isaac Butler, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2023
The interludes make for juicy lampoons of that unfortunate Western export, oleaginous showbiz faux-intimacy.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 21 June 2022
The French state is represented effectively here by oleaginous High Commissioner De Roller (Magimel), a European long based in Tahiti.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 May 2022
After tapping the oleaginous Gaetz, Biden said that crude from the Florida congressman could start flowing throughout the United States by the end of the week.
—Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2021
The same goes for the oleaginous Uriah Heep (Ben Whishaw), the legal clerk who can worm into people’s brains, as if into their guts, with his show of humility.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2020
And there is the womanizing Mr. Mantalini, whose gift for oleaginous flattery always persuades his long-suffering wife to take him back.
—Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2020
Eggplant sponges up so much olive oil in the traditional caponata recipe that the end result often is a caponata that is cloyingly oleaginous.
—Bill St. John, The Denver Post, 26 June 2019
David Owen, The New Yorker, 27 July 2024
At any moment, the noodles might dissolve, the cheese topping burn, the dish collapse into a soggy, oleaginous mess.
—Isaac Butler, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2023
The interludes make for juicy lampoons of that unfortunate Western export, oleaginous showbiz faux-intimacy.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 21 June 2022
The French state is represented effectively here by oleaginous High Commissioner De Roller (Magimel), a European long based in Tahiti.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 May 2022
After tapping the oleaginous Gaetz, Biden said that crude from the Florida congressman could start flowing throughout the United States by the end of the week.
—Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2021
The same goes for the oleaginous Uriah Heep (Ben Whishaw), the legal clerk who can worm into people’s brains, as if into their guts, with his show of humility.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2020
And there is the womanizing Mr. Mantalini, whose gift for oleaginous flattery always persuades his long-suffering wife to take him back.
—Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2020
Eggplant sponges up so much olive oil in the traditional caponata recipe that the end result often is a caponata that is cloyingly oleaginous.
—Bill St. John, The Denver Post, 26 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oleaginous
Adjective
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When rain falls through them, the metals react, leaving polluted puddles with an oily sheen to seep into nearby creeks.John Leos, The Arizona Republic, 12 Dec. 2024
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Jojoba oil is an oily wax made from the seed of the jojoba plant, a desert shrub.Susan Bard, Verywell Health, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Pasta sauces are unctuous, and the tiramisu made my lactose-intolerant dining companion giddy.Kendyl Kearly, Baltimore Sun, 25 Nov. 2024
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For cooking the aromatic vegetables, but also dotted overtop, butter seeps into the breadcrumbs and crisps up the top for an unctuous, golden bite.Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 23 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Reviews of the film at the time tended to single out the career-best performance of Jason Patric, primarily because, as the aggro, rape-minded workout buddy to Eckhart’s weak-spined Barry, Patric’s is the showiest and most sickening role.Sean Malin, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
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The yearling scrambled back up its tree, then let go and fell, landing with a sickening thud.Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Andrew Stevens pays loving but not hagiographic tribute to his late mother, famed actress Stella Stevens, in his documentary recently showcased at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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This is no hagiographic portrait of Czechoslovak Radio as a beacon of civic resistance.Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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There is just cause for the soapier parts: Manet was married, and Morisot wed his brother.Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 23 Nov. 2024
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The group that seems to have inspired Reid is Fleetwood Mac, which, with its shifting intramural love relationships, sundry drug problems and issues of control — the soapiest of rock’s many operas — was a romance novel/miniseries waiting to happen.Robert LloydTelevision Critic, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2023
Adjective
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Recent examples of people acting out of this same humble presumption—and being slapped down for it—are abundant.Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
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Lessons from nations with better-performing health systems are abundant.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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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
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There’s no better time to embrace the mushy gushy than in the first few moments after winning gold medals together.Meg Linehan, The Athletic, 10 Aug. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near oleaginous
Cite this Entry
“Oleaginous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oleaginous. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.
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