Adjacent Words

Unctuous definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

UNC'TUOUS, a.
1. Fat; oily; greasy.
2. Having a resemblance to oil; as the unctuous feel of a stone.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech; "buttery praise"; "gave him a fulsome introduction"; "an oily sycophantic press agent"; "oleaginous hypocrisy"; "smarmy self-importance"; "the unctuous Uriah Heep"; "soapy compliments" [syn: buttery, fulsome, oily, oleaginous, smarmy, soapy, unctuous]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French or Medieval Latin; Middle French unctueus, from Medieval Latin unctuosus, from Latin unctus act of anointing, from unguere to anoint Date: 14th century 1. a. fatty, oily b. smooth and greasy in texture or appearance 2. plastic <fine unctuous clay> 3. full of unction; especially revealing or marked by a smug, ingratiating, and false earnestness or spirituality • unctuously adverb • unctuousness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 (of behaviour, speech, etc.) unpleasantly flattering; oily. 2 (esp. of minerals) having a greasy or soapy feel; oily. Derivatives: unctuously adv. unctuousness n. Etymology: ME f. med.L unctuosus f. L unctus anointing (as UNCTION)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Unctuous Unc"tu*ous (?; 135), a. [F. onctueux, LL. unctuosus, fr. L. unctus anointment, fr. ungere, unctum, to anoint. See Unguent.] 1. Of the nature or quality of an unguent or ointment; fatty; oily; greasy. ``The unctuous cheese.'' --Longfellow. 2. Having a smooth, greasy feel, as certain minerals. 3. Bland; suave; also, tender; fervid; as, an unctuous speech; sometimes, insincerely suave or fervid. -- Unc"tu*ous*ly, adv. -- Unc"tu*ous*ness, n.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. If you describe someone as unctuous, you are critical of them because they seem to be full of praise, kindness, or interest, but are obviously insincere. (FORMAL) ...the kind of unctuous tone that I've heard often at diplomatic parties. ADJ [disapproval] 2. If you describe food or drink as unctuous, you mean that it is creamy or oily. (FORMAL) ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Greasy, oily, fatty, fat, oleaginous, adipose, adipous, sebaceous, pinguid, butyraceous, unguinous. 2. Smooth, bland, slippery, lubric, lubricous. 3. (In a bad or offensive sense.) Smooth, bland, suave, over-complaisant, oily, plausible, sycophantic, sycophantish, parasitic, obsequious, adulatory, fawning, servile. 4. (Also in a bad sense.) Fervid, over-fervid, full of unction, gushing, of affected warmth.

Moby 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