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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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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of unctuous
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
Remember that when spraying down your pasty, white offspring, as most of us could do without the piquant afterglow from inhaling that unctuous, SPF-100 mist.
—Steve Cambria, Hartford Courant, 4 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unctuous 
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
Remember that when spraying down your pasty, white offspring, as most of us could do without the piquant afterglow from inhaling that unctuous, SPF-100 mist.
—Steve Cambria, Hartford Courant, 4 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unctuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unctuous
Adjective
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Fraudsters have devised sophisticated registration bots to mimic real users, coded to flood companies’ systems with fake OTPs.—
Ethan Stone,
USA TODAY,
12 Jan. 2025
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While fake kidnapping calls aimed at exploiting worried parents are a familiar tactic for some criminals, advancements in technology are making these scams far more convincing and harder to detect.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
12 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Lastly, rely on a featherweight veil of setting powder strategically placed to the T-zone and oily areas to control excess shine then mist on a dose of setting spray.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
10 Jan. 2025
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This top pick from our moisturizer for oily skin story soothed my irritated skin and helped transform it for the better.—
Cecily McAndrews,
Health,
5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Wallace’s fourth victim, Audrey Spain, and his seventh, Vanessa Mack, were killed in almost identical fashion — with double ligatures, says Price, who was lead detective on the Spain case.—
Michael Gordon,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Jan. 2025
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Living double lives, find themselves on a treacherous path where escape may be impossible.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
17 Jan. 2025
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.—
David Owen,
The New Yorker,
27 July 2024
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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
Adjective
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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.—
Emily Holgate,
refinery29.com,
19 Jan. 2024
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Also, lip skin is thinner, making blood vessels more apparent.—
Scott LaFee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Mar. 2024
Adjective
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While the American food supply is among the safest in the world, the Food and Drug Administration estimates that there are about 48 million cases of foodborne illness annually – the equivalent of sickening 1 in 6 Americans each year.—
Jennie Key,
The Enquirer,
27 Dec. 2024
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Los Angeles County is suing the owner of Chiquita Canyon Landfill for failing to control a high-temperature chemical reaction that is cooking garbage and sickening nearby residents.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Dan echoed this sentiment, rejecting superficial solutions like additional meetings and emphasizing the need for meaningful work, fair pay, and flexibility.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes,
15 Jan. 2025
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But if the models are doing something more superficial, then perhaps machine learning has no insights to offer linguistics.—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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By William Baldwin, Senior Contributor State budgets are strained and tax hikes might make voters angry or businesses inclined to leave.—
William Baldwin,
Forbes,
11 Jan. 2025
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The return of former chief scout Sven Mislintat — with whom Kehl has a strained relationship — as technical director, further complicated his role.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
The Athletic,
9 Jan. 2025
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Thesaurus Entries Near unctuous
Cite this Entry
“Unctuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unctuous. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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