honeyed words
1
7.2
- noun
- /ˈhʌniˌd wɜrdz/
- Informal
:
palabras mieladas
- He used honeyed words to persuade the audience, but many suspected his motives were not sincere.
Examples
-
"Thine honeyed words fall sweetly upon mine ears, Itagne," Xan Tia smiled.
Fiction book (1993) -
Several shouts came from them, several grunts of defiance from people who had likely heard such honeyed words in the real world.
Fiction book (2000) -
With gentle speech and honeyed words, he paid homage to her beauty and wisdom and claimed that he desired to learn her peaceable ways.
Fiction book (1995) -
The coarse language vanishes and is replaced by poetic, sweet, honeyed words that never reach her because she is too busy trying not to run from him.
Fiction book (1997) -
The politician's honeyed words sounded nice, but they failed to address the real issues faced by the community.
-
She was not easily swayed by his honeyed words, knowing they were often used to deceive.
Synonyms
3
4.3
Flattering words that try to persuade someone but are not sincere
2
8.3
Claims that exaggerate product benefits and are not meant literally
2
9.9
Sentimental fake content meant to impress or persuade people
Words or actions that try to trick people into thinking things are better than they are
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'pleasing or flattering words' is directly derivable by combining 'honeyed' (pleasingly sweet) with 'words', so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will grasp the basic sense of pleasant or flattering speech. However, the additional pragmatic nuance that such speech is often insincere or intended to deceive is a conventionalized, metaphorical extension that may not be fully predictable without exposure. Because the literal metaphor gives a clear cue but not the full idiomatic implication, this expression is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
Honeyed words comes from the image of honey on words, making them sound very sweet and pleasant to hear. Because the sweetness hides the true meaning, honeyed words often mean speech that is pleasing but 'insincere' or meant to 'deceive'.