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
Fatty Fish Fatty or oily fish are fish and other seafood that naturally store oil all over their bodies, including their tissues and around their guts.
—
Joy Emeh,
Health,
22 June 2026
Played with oily charisma by Murray Hamilton, the character is still booed to this day.
—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 June 2026
Firstly, my non-negotiable is that the formula has to actually preserve my makeup despite my hyper-oily complexion.
—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
18 June 2026
Key Takeaways Eating leafy green vegetables, whole grains, nuts, berries, legumes, oily fish, and more may lower LDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
—
Carrie Madormo,
Verywell Health,
16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for oily
Joy Emeh,
Health,
22 June 2026
Played with oily charisma by Murray Hamilton, the character is still booed to this day.
—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 June 2026
Firstly, my non-negotiable is that the formula has to actually preserve my makeup despite my hyper-oily complexion.
—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
18 June 2026
Key Takeaways Eating leafy green vegetables, whole grains, nuts, berries, legumes, oily fish, and more may lower LDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
—
Carrie Madormo,
Verywell Health,
16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for oily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oily
Adjective
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Remove the drain cover, clear any visible hair clogs, and soak the cover in white vinegar to remove soapy residue.
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Soak it in hot, soapy water for about 20 minutes, then give it another good scrub to remove any remaining buildup.
Adjective
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Toxic fumes are leaking into airplanes and sickening passengers and crew members at an alarming rate, according to a September 2025 report by The Wall Street Journal.
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The concept of this many women vying for West is somewhat sickening to me.
Adjective
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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.
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Ted Cruz, the perennial front-runner, is smug and oleaginous—hated equally by his colleagues and the public.
Adjective
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The unctuous and sweet char siu pork jowl is interspersed with green apple pressed with lime and ginger for a bright and crisp counter to the fatty pig.
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Made with the unctuous 8-percent-fat milk of the water buffalo—animals that may have arrived in the area via the Normans by way of Sicily, or perhaps by the Goths coming from Central Asia—buffalo mozzarella has been produced at least since the twelfth century.
Adjective
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Except for the unfettered devotion in the latter is replaced by swooping strings and a gushy chorus that merely offer an antiseptic veneer.
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The announcement may come as a shock for country fans who have followed the couple through their sappy podcast appearances and gushy acceptance speeches.
Adjective
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Though mighty hagiographic, McPhee’s ability to break down a player’s gifts makes a poetic case for the game.
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While these celebrity docs are hagiographic and formulaic, the interviews with Nadal and family and rivals like Federer and Novak Djokovic do push beyond the surface.
Adjective
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Cheap, abundant labor is exactly the condition under which a company most needs a grown-up in the room to decide what all that fast output should add up to.
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English colonists from Barbados and Bermuda settled in the region during that time, bringing with them enslaved Africans with their own abundant culinary heritage.
Cite this Entry
“Oily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oily. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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