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Glite Dictionary
smarmily

smarmily

9.3
In a very polite but fake way to get someone to like you
  • adverb
  • /ˈsmɑːrmɪli/
  • Informal
translation icon : aduladoramente
  • The salesman spoke smarmily, making exaggerated claims about the benefits of the product.

Examples

  • At the party, he smarmily greeted everyone, trying to win their favor with flattery.

  • They saw a shameless liar suddenly decide that he was going to switch positions on everything, endorse nearly every one of Obama's points, claim the mantle of moderate and the middle, and smarmily threaten to fire the moderator.

    Blog text (3)

  • She smarmily complimented her boss's new tie, hoping to secure a promotion.

Synonyms

flatteringly
vssmarmily
1 4.6

In a way that praises someone more than they deserve

is similar but specifically stresses fake politeness and ingratiating tone
unctuously
vssmarmily
1 9.8

Speaks or acts in a too friendly way that does not seem honest

is flattering and ingratiating without the explicitly oily sound
fulsomely
vssmarmily
  • Formal
1 9.4

To praise someone too much so it does not sound sincere

is excessive too but focuses more on ingratiating politeness
slimily
vssmarmily
  • Offensive
1 8.3

In a friendly but not honest way that makes people not trust you

is ingratiating but lacks the strongly gross and mistrustful tone
sycophantically
vssmarmily
  • Offensive
8.8

In a way that gives too much praise to someone important to get their favor

is flattering broadly, not necessarily to gain authority's favor
simperingly
vssmarmily
9.9

In a shy, silly way that shows little confidence

is ingratiating but more broadly denotes excessive polite flattery

Antonyms

sincerely
152 1.0

In a way that shows true feelings without pretending

How Ingratiating

sycophantically
  • Offensive
8.8
obsequiously
1 9.9
smarmily
  • Informal
9.3
flatteringly
1 4.6

Surface Forms

smarmily positive

Morphology

smarmily = smarmy (transparent) = smarmy + ly

Standard adverbial formation from the adjective 'smarmy' using the productive suffix '-ly'; the manner meaning is directly derived.

Etymology

Smarmily comes from an old verb meaning 'to smear', like putting oil or grease on someone, and is related to the English word smear. A helpful image is someone 'smearing' you with slick, greasy compliments, so smarmily means speaking in a fake, overly flattering way that feels untrustworthy.