an unctuous effort to appear religious to the voters an unctuous appraisal of the musical talent shown by the boss's daughter

Recent Examples on the Web

Alongside me in the depot’s unctuous gloom: Hardcore football purists decked out in prepurchased Guardians memorabilia. Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, "America’s Game," 15 Sep. 2020

Every good cook knows to let their meat rest after it’s fully cooked to let the juices settle and the meat remain unctuous at the moment of serving. Hugh Garvey, Sunset Magazine, "Sunset Loves: The Meater Wireless Smart Thermometer," 10 Sep. 2020

The white counterpart – the Chardonnay Private Reserve – is rich and unctuous, but well made for this style, tasting of ripe cantaloupe, yellow apples, and cream. Bryce Wiatrak, SFChronicle.com, "Beringer Winery is more than cheap supermarket wine," 12 Apr. 2018

This candid glimpse into Gaetz’s world may come as something of an unctuous surprise to HBO’s typical documentary viewer, who is used to being served agreeable agenda items from the left side of the menu. Hank Stuever, Washington Post, "‘The Swamp’ looks at political reform through the eyes of an unlikely hero: Rep. Matt Gaetz," 3 Aug. 2020

The heat from the noodles will cook the egg, melt the cheese, and create an unctuous sauce. Hetty Mckinnon, Bon Appétit, "6 Delicious Ways to Bulk Up Instant Noodles," 10 July 2020

The snap and sting of pickled carrots, daikon and chiles mingle with splintering bread, unctuous pâté and meats that are grilled or processed into cold cuts. Los Angeles Times, "Eight great places for takeout banh mi," 8 May 2020

More romantic loneliness followed in the encore, the unctuous slow movement of Rachmaninoff’s Cello Sonata. Washington Post, "The bar was set high for Austrian cellist Kian Soltani, and his latest recital delivered," 23 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unctuous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.