Words / C2

UNGKT-yoo-uh-s/ˈʌŋktjuəs/

Unctuous means praise or politeness that feels oily and false — too smooth to trust. Polite is genuine; flattering may still be honest. Unctuous compliments / an unctuous voice. In speech, smarmy is the everyday British hit; unctuous is a critic’s word (and originally meant oily in a literal sense). Close to obsequious, but unctuous stresses the false texture of the words, not only the bowing.

Meaning

Too polite or full of praise, in a way that seems false.

Examples

• “His unctuous compliments felt dishonest.”
• “The brochure’s unctuous tone made the course sound like a spa.”
• “Unctuous sympathy from a stranger can feel worse than silence.”

Good to know

Oily, insincere smoothness. Everyday: smarmy. Related: obsequious (fawning to power). Literary/critical.

Near in meaning

smarmy

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