unctuous
adjective
[ ˈʌŋ(k)tjʊəs ]
• excessively flattering or ingratiating; oily.
• "he seemed anxious to please but not in an unctuous way"
Similar:
sycophantic,
ingratiating,
obsequious,
fawning,
servile,
self-abasing,
grovelling,
subservient,
wheedling,
cajoling,
crawling,
cringing,
Uriah Heepish,
humble,
toadying,
hypocritical,
insincere,
flattering,
adulatory,
honey-tongued,
silver-tongued,
gushing,
effusive,
suave,
urbane,
glib,
smooth,
smooth-tongued,
smooth-spoken,
smooth-talking,
slick,
slippery,
saccharine,
oily,
oleaginous,
greasy,
cloying,
nauseating,
sickening,
smarmy,
slimy,
bootlicking,
forelock-tugging,
phoney,
sucky,
soapy,
brown-nosing,
apple-polishing,
saponaceous,
pinguid,
arse-licking,
bum-sucking,
ass-kissing,
kiss-ass,
• (chiefly of minerals) having a greasy or soapy feel.
Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘greasy’): from medieval Latin unctuosus, from Latin unctus ‘anointing’, from unguere ‘anoint’.
