unctuous
adjective
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Is unctuous positive or negative?
Nowadays, unctuous usually has a negative connotation, but it originated as a term describing a positive act: that of healing. The word comes from the Latin verb unguere (“to anoint”), a root that also gave rise to the words unguent (“a soothing or healing salve”) and ointment. The oily nature of ointments may have led to the use of unctuous to describe things marked by an artificial gloss of sentimentality. An unctuous individual may mean well, but the person’s insincere effusiveness can leave an unwelcome residue—much like that of some ointments.
Synonyms
Examples of unctuous in a Sentence
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
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Cite this Entry
“Unctuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unctuous. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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unctuous
adjective
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unctuous
adjective
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