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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Wild rose, vitamin C, rosehip oil Best For: Suited for dry, oily, normal, and combination skin types, the cream most effectively targets uneven texture.Jenny Berg, Vogue, 31 Oct. 2024
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These oily fish contain omega-3 fatty acids and are good sources of protein, vitamins, selenium, and calcium.Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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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
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Needs a few years to better harmonize into a more unctuous delight.Tom Mullen, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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What was sickening about being there in person was watching the Trump fans around me and realizing that there was nothing shocking about it to them.Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2024
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Next she was wrenched the other way in a sickening, 180° roll, and one of the crew members tumbled down the almost-vertical deck and vanished in the sea.Orval C. Johnson, Outdoor Life, 31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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This is no hagiographic portrait of Czechoslovak Radio as a beacon of civic resistance.Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 30 Oct. 2024
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Her book makes a refreshing change from the hagiographic tone of most Bowie biographies, said John Aizlewood on iNews.The Week Staff, theweek, 6 June 2024
Adjective
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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
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Many non-dishwasher-safe portable blenders instead offer self-cleaning modes, which require you to blend a bit of soapy water before rinsing and drying them.Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2023
Adjective
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In one of these observations, Booth and her colleagues found abundant methanol (opens a new tab) within a nearby planet-forming disk.Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 13 Nov. 2024
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The wildlife agency says the population is strong and abundant.Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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To that end, yes, honeymoon phases are gushy (and self-absorbed).Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 19 June 2024
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The film opens with a dizzying montage of magazine covers and clips accompanied by a stream of gushy praise from prominent fans.David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Thesaurus Entries Near oleaginous
Cite this Entry
“Oleaginous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oleaginous. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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