unctuous

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈʌŋktʃuəs/ UK /ˈʌŋktjuəs/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
excessively flattering or ingratiating; oily

The salesman's unctuous manner made her uneasy.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · excessively flattering or... oily greasy smarmy ingratiating fawning obsequious sycophantic

Opposites

sincere genuine blunt brusque

Word family

Derived forms unctuouslyunctuousness

Related forms unction unguent anoint

Etymology

From Medieval Latin unctuosus ('greasy'), from Latin unctus ('anointed, oiled'), past participle of unguere ('to anoint, smear with oil').

unctuosus Latin unguere Latin *h₃engʷ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# unctuous

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈʌŋktʃuəs/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈʌŋktjuəs/

## Meanings
1. excessively flattering or ingratiating; oily

## Examples
- The salesman's unctuous manner made her uneasy.

## Synonyms
- oily
- greasy
- smarmy
- ingratiating
- fawning
- obsequious
- sycophantic

## Antonyms
- sincere
- genuine
- blunt
- brusque

## Derived Forms
- unctuously
- unctuousness

## Related Forms
- unction
- unguent
- anoint

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: unctuosus
- Root: unguere
- Root: *h₃engʷ-

## Etymology
From Medieval Latin unctuosus ('greasy'), from Latin unctus ('anointed, oiled'), past participle of unguere ('to anoint, smear with oil').

## AI Etymology
Unctuous comes from Medieval Latin unctuosus ('greasy'), from Latin unctus ('anointed, oiled'), past participle of unguere ('to anoint, smear with oil'). The historical chain includes Latin unctuosus, Latin unguere, and Proto-Indo-European *h₃engʷ-. The quoted older senses, "greasy", "anointed, oiled", and "to anoint, smear with oil", supply the semantic anchors for unctuous. The formation is best read as participial and borrowed: the word unctuous carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a adj, "excessively flattering or ingratiating; oily". English derivatives include unctuously and unctuousness; related English forms include unction, unguent, and anoint. The result is a adj whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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