as in soapy
overly or insincerely flattering
an executive who surrounds herself with oily, sycophantic assistants
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of oily
Enduring oily fingertips — and the subsequent pile of greasy napkins?
—
Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2026
Also, compost responsibly by not putting meat scraps, greasy, oily or sweet materials in your compost pile.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
Yes, even if your skin is oily.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
For oily skin, a lightweight gel formula is a good fit.
—Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for oily
Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2026
Also, compost responsibly by not putting meat scraps, greasy, oily or sweet materials in your compost pile.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
Yes, even if your skin is oily.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
For oily skin, a lightweight gel formula is a good fit.
—Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for oily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oily
Adjective
-
Wash them well in hot, soapy water and then dip them in one gallon of cool water and one tablespoon of regular, unscented bleach.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
25 Apr. 2026
-
After taking care to wash down and sanitize any surfaces used to rinse the ribs or surfaces near the rinsing area, wash your hands with hot, soapy water for at least 20 seconds.—
Stacey Lastoe,
Southern Living,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But a radioactive cloud was wafting across Europe, setting off alarms in a Swedish laboratory nearly seven hundred miles away and slowly sickening tens of thousands of people.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
-
That flight had twice aborted takeoff and declared an emergency due to an odor onboard that was sickening flight attendants.—
Aaron Cooper,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
His widow doesn’t exactly look too broken up; less than a week after his death, Lee spots her snuggling with Dale’s brother Donald, an oleaginous candidate for governor played by Kyle MacLachlan.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Sep. 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
Salting too far in advance (or worse, mixing salt into the patties) will draw moisture to the surface, rendering the meat bouncy rather than unctuous.—
Li Goldstein,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 Apr. 2026
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Ella Stiller arrives as Patience, Valerie’s social-media guru, Jack O’Brien sweetly plays her new hairdresser, and Andrew Scott, doing the most to eradicate any lingering Hot Priest vibes, plays a wildly unctuous NuNet executive.—
Jennifer Silverman,
Rolling Stone,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Perhaps no father-daughter duo is cooler than Lenny and Zoë Kravitz, but that doesn't mean the rocker is immune to all the gushy feelings fatherhood brings.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
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The Social Security Administration sent a gushy, questionable email July 4 to millions of people collecting Social Security benefits and others.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
21 July 2025
Adjective
-
But all the myth and sorrow around the dynasty mean many takes tilt hagiographic.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
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The Gracious Visionary is a rather hagiographic film title for one’s life and work.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In between, Altman either worked in television or for now-defunct independent operations like Cinecom, United Artists Classics, Cannon, and New World Pictures, distributors rarely in a position to give his films wide releases, abundant advertising, or substantial resources during shooting.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
1 May 2026
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The telltale signature of abundant dust lies within the galaxy’s continuum of ultraviolet light, which has a relatively flat slope as a result of absorption from the dust.—
Jenna Ahart,
Scientific American,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oily. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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