as in sentimental
appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way
the cloying sentiments of so many Mother's Day cards
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Recent Examples of cloying
Sarah Hoffmann, Allure, 5 Dec. 2024
But Connie's adorable son Timmy (Gordon Gebert), who manages to be cute but not cloying, practically runs away with the whole thing.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2024
Not cloying, but clearly designed to be inoffensive: who would, after all, wish these boys, this family, this community, any harm?
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
The first sensations are textural, soft and slick but not cloying, with occasional crunch.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cloying 
Adjective
Undeniably yummy, borderline mouth-watering, but never cloying.
—Sarah Hoffmann, Allure, 5 Dec. 2024
But Connie's adorable son Timmy (Gordon Gebert), who manages to be cute but not cloying, practically runs away with the whole thing.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2024
Not cloying, but clearly designed to be inoffensive: who would, after all, wish these boys, this family, this community, any harm?
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
The first sensations are textural, soft and slick but not cloying, with occasional crunch.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cloying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cloying
Adjective
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Some 12,000 structures — buildings and cars — have been destroyed so far, and with them many tons of property of all levels of sentimental meaning.—
Steven Zeitchik,
The Hollywood Reporter,
15 Jan. 2025
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The paintings are far from sentimental keepsakes and instead often tell stories of similar loss and tragedy experienced by others, including the children depicted, who sometimes died young, or went on to live troubled lives.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The sticky oil can be applied directly to the belly and over right side of the abdomen, but holistic health enthusiasts like to soak a piece of cotton or flannel and apply heat for more intense delivery.—
Jessica Ourisman,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
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Like other Thai cities, Chiang Rai boasts its fair share of markets and night bazaars, where visitors can browse Thai handicrafts and sample khao soi (a curry noodle soup that’s a northern specialty) and mango sticky rice at their own pace.—
Tanvi Chheda,
AFAR Media,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Research — a survey of 109 CEOs of major Canadian organizations, complemented by in-depth qualitative interviews with 46 of them — suggests six strategies for alleviating loneliness that leaders can employ.—
Alaric Bourgoin,
Sarah L. Wright,
Jean-François Harvey,
Saouré Kouamé,
Harvard Business Review,
23 Dec. 2024
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Much of this latest round of donations went to organizations focused on alleviating poverty, Scott wrote in a blog post on Wednesday.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.,
CNBC,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The word out of Arizona is that Kingsbury’s Cardinals teams were too often sloppy and undisciplined and that his full-team leadership skills and oversight have been lacking.—
Dan Wiederer,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Jan. 2025
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In the unreliable reality the older Owen inhabits, his favorite childhood show was in fact silly, sloppy, and decidedly low-stakes.—
Samantha Allen,
Them,
14 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Cleveland wasted no time following the conclusion of their season by relieving Dorsey of his duties just one season after joining the team.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
5 Jan. 2025
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Xylitol may have other health benefits, including preventing ear and sinus infections, increasing bone density, and relieving constipation.—
Adrienne Dellwo,
Verywell Health,
5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But today, the saccharine days of corn sweeteners, like those produced by ADM, may be under siege.—
Mark Dent,
thehustle.co,
10 Jan. 2025
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There’s a lot of whimsy, but the cuteness is intertwined with tough stuff, too difficult to be saccharine.—
Caitlin Lovinger,
New York Times,
14 Dec. 2024
Articles Related to cloying
Thesaurus Entries Near cloying
Cite this Entry
“Cloying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cloying. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.
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