oleaginous
1
9.9
- adjective
- /oʊˈliːdʒɪnəs/
- Offensive
:
obsequioso
- He offered oleaginous compliments to everyone at the party, but no one believed him.
Examples
-
May's matchless original, "The Heartbreak Kid," narrows his eyes in disbelief as he listens to the slick, oleaginous (and already married!)
Blog text (32) -
When the university confirms his suspicions about the spring water, he is more than vindicated; he does a little victory dance, and when Hovstad and Billing heap their oleaginous praise on him, he takes it as his due.
Blog text (15) -
" Yes," he began, "How is my favorite nurse today?" The oleaginous voice, the talc odor staining the air, announced lecherous Dr. Bracken.
Fiction book (1990) -
And listen: I'm looking," captures the oleaginous quality of the former prime minister more quickly—and in deadlier fashion—than anyone else has.
Academic text (2011) -
After wondering for the gazillionth time whether Dick Suris, the oleaginous, slimetudinous political consultant to Jack Stanton, was bugging our little power retreat, I redoubled my efforts.
Fiction book (1996) -
I was initiated into the slimy, oleaginous sham-piety so fiercely satirized by Caradoc Evans, and I well know the truth of his contention that "the hand of the Nonconformist minister in Wales is heavier than that of the priest is supposed to be in Ireland."
Academic text (1996) -
The salesperson's oleaginous manner made it hard to trust his recommendations.
-
Her oleaginous behavior during the meeting annoyed many of her colleagues.
Synonyms
12
8.1
Too polite and friendly in a way that does not seem real
7
9.3
Trying too hard to please someone in a way that seems false
7
6.7
Too smooth and pleasant in a way that seems false
3
9.7
A person who gives too many fake compliments to try to please people
3
9.3
Too much praise that sounds false and makes people uncomfortable
1
7.1
Trying to please others with smooth words that are not sincere
1
7.9
Talking in a smooth, not sincere way to seem friendly
Antonyms
How Insincere
- Offensive
1
9.9
- Formal
4
9.2
3
9.7
- Informal
12
8.1
24
7.9
19
4.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
oleaginous = oil (semi-transparent) = oleagin + ous
This sense is a figurative/metaphorical extension from 'oily' (literal) to 'insincerely ingratiating'; the connection is plausible but requires pragmatic/metaphorical inference.
Etymology
Oleaginous comes from the same root oleum meaning 'oil', and it is used for people who seem too smooth or 'oily' because they are not sincere and try too hard to please.