Unctuous
Contents
English
Adjective
Unctuous (comparative more Unctuous, superlative most Unctuous)
- (of a liquid or fatty substance) Oily or greasy.
- 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, ch. 96:
- In a word, after being tried out, the crisp, shrivelled blubber, now called scraps or fritters, still contains considerable of its unctuous properties.
- 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, ch. 96:
- (of a wine, coffee, etc.) Rich, lush, intense, with layers of concentrated, soft, velvety flavor.
- 1872, Bayard Taylor, Beauty and The Beast; and Tales of Home, ch. 3:
- The halls and passages of the castle were already permeated with rich and unctuous smells, and a delicate nose might have picked out and arranged, by their finer or coarser vapors, the dishes preparing for the upper and lower tables.
- 1872, Bayard Taylor, Beauty and The Beast; and Tales of Home, ch. 3:
- (by extension, of a person) Profusely polite, especially unpleasantly so and insincerely earnest.
- 1919, Stephen Leacock, The Hohenzollerns in America, ch. 8:
- In superior circles, however, introduction becomes more elaborate, more flattering, more unctuous.
- 1919, Stephen Leacock, The Hohenzollerns in America, ch. 8:
Synonyms
- (of a liquid): oleaginous, saponaceous, slimy
- (of wine, coffee, etc.): savorous
- (profusely, esp. unpleasantly, polite): creepy, effusive, groveling, oleaginous, slimy, sycophantic
Derived terms
Related terms
Adverbs for Unctuous
disgustingly; professionally; pedantically; smugly; blandly; intolerably; obsequiously; submissively; deceptively; ominously; maddeningly; solemnly; softly; persuasively; carefully; properly; ingratiatingly; suavely; adroitly.
Thesaurus
Pecksniffian, Tartuffian, Tartuffish, adipose, adulatory, affected, bland, blandishing, blarneying, blubbery, buttery, butyraceous, cajoling, canting, chrismal, chrismatory, complimentary, courtierly, courtly, disarming, fair-spoken, false, fat, fatty, fawning, fine-spoken, flattering, fulsome, glib, goody, goody-goody, greasy, gushing, holier-than-thou, honey-mouthed, honey-tongued, honeyed, hypocritic, hypocritical, ingratiating, insincere, insinuating, lardaceous, lardy, mealymouthed, mucoid, obsequious, oily, oily-tongued, oleaginous, oleic, pharisaic, pharisean, pietistic, pious, rich, sanctified, sanctimonious, sebaceous, self-righteous, simon-pure, sleek, slick, slimy, slippery, slobbery, smarmy, smooth, smooth-spoken, smooth-tongued, smug, sniveling, soapy, soft-soaping, soft-spoken, suave, suave-spoken, suety, sycophantic, tallowy, unguent, unguentary, unguentous, wheedling
Etymology
From Latin unguere, ungere (“to anoint”).
Translations
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External links
- Unctuous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- Unctuous in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- Unctuous at OneLook Dictionary Search
