unctuous

(ŭngk'chū-əs)
adj.

1. Characterized by affected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness: "the unctuous, complacent court composer who is consumed with envy and self-loathing" (Rhoda Koenig).
2. Having the quality or characteristics of oil or ointment; slippery.
3. Containing or composed of oil or fat.
4. Abundant in organic materials; soft and rich: unctuous soil.

[Middle English, from Old French unctueus, from Medieval Latin ūnctuōsus, from Latin ūnctum, ointment, from neuter past participle of unguere, to anoint.]

unctuously unc'tu·ous·ly adv.
unctuousness unc'tu·ous·ness or unc'tu·os'i·ty (-ŏs'ĭ-tē) n.

SYNONYMS   unctuous, fulsome, oily, oleaginous, smarmy. These adjectives mean insincerely, self-servingly, or smugly agreeable or earnest: an unctuous toady; gave the dictator a fulsome introduction; oily praise; oleaginous hypocrisy; smarmy self-importance.

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adjective

1. Affectedly and self-servingly earnest: fulsome, oily, oleaginous, sleek, smarmy. See attitude/good attitude/bad attitude/neutral attitude, honest/dishonest.
2. Having the qualities of fat: adipose, fat, fatty, greasy, oily, oleaginous. See fat/thin.

fatty, oily; rich in organic matter; marked by a smug, ingratiating and false earnestness

IN BRIEF: Oily or greasy. Also: Too polite in speech or manner.

His manner was unctuous and not at all genuine.

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Greasy or oily.

For a list of words related to unctuous, see:

• Bad, False, Evil, Insincere, or Dishonest

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See words rhyming with "unctuous."

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - fedtet, salvelsesfuldt

Nederlands (Dutch)
vet(tig), zalvend, vleierig

Français (French)
adj. - onctueux, mielleux

Deutsch (German)
adj. - ölig, salbungsvoll

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - γλοιώδης, ανειλικρινής

Italiano (Italian)
untuoso

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - untuoso

Русский (Russian)
елейный, маслянистый, жирный и липкий (о почве)

Español (Spanish)
adj. - untuoso, grasiento, zalamero, meloso, devoto, fervoroso, mojigato, hipócrita

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - salvelsefull, inställsam, oljig, flottig, fet

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
油似的, 油腻的, 油质的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 油似的, 油膩的, 油質的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 기름 같은, 미끄러운, 감동을 가장하는

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 油のような, 油性の, なめらかな, さも感動したような, きざな, 油ぎった

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) مداهن, متزلف, زيتي, دهني‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮חלקלק, שמנוני, מפריז באדיבות, מנומס מדיי, מעושה, של שמן‬

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