cloying

adjective

cloy·​ing ˈklȯi-iŋ How to pronounce cloying (audio)
ˈklȯiŋ
: disgusting or distasteful by reason of excess
cloying sweetness
also : excessively sweet or sentimental
a cloying romantic comedy
Her coyness grows cloying after a while … Elysa Gardner
cloyingly adverb

Did you know?

We won’t bore you with the sappy tale behind the word cloying, because happily, there isn’t one. That’s because its history isn’t sweet, but rather tough as nails. Cloying comes from the verb cloy, which had among its earliest uses the meaning (to quote the Oxford English Dictionary) “to render [a gun] useless by driving a spike or plug into the touch-hole.” This ultra-specific sense of clogging and stuffing arose alongside both broader and figurative ones, including “to fill or choke up,” and cloy has since come to mean “to supply or indulge to excess.” Accordingly, cloying implies a nauseating amount of something that might be pleasing in smaller doses, especially both literal and metaphorical sweetness.

Examples of cloying in a Sentence

After a while, the softness of his voice becomes cloying. the cloying sentiments of so many Mother's Day cards
Recent Examples on the Web Although Sweeney is more persuasive in the latter half of the film, when the trauma of pregnancy turns Cecilia into an avenging nun, the early sweetness and naïveté of her character is too cloying to track with her sudden personality shift. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 Its notes of pink grapefruit, peach nectar, and jasmine create a fresh, citrusy-meets-floral scent that’s light and airy without feeling cloying or overpowering. Jamie Allison Sanders, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 The charmed tale of the very polite bear is as comforting as a marmalade sandwich without ever feeling cloying, and our critic favorably compared it to a Wes Anderson or Muppets movie. Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 26 Aug. 2023 Those questions are sincere but not cloying, and never dogmatic; they are framed as part of a natural response to catastrophe. Katie Kitamura, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2024 But Connie's adorable son Timmy (Gordon Gebert), who manages to be cute but not cloying (see also: Natalie Wood, above), practically runs away with the whole thing. Gwen Ihnat, EW.com, 16 Nov. 2023 That said, there is a very subtle, lightly cloying finish at this level of dilution that is just barely not perfect. Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 27 Jan. 2024 Soon, as a cloying montage telegraphs, their budding relationship is in full bloom, with stylish and well-to-do Kôsuke taking the young Ryûta almost under his wing. Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 13 Jan. 2024 The scent was floral without being cloying, and was nice to burn year-round. Nena Farrell, WIRED, 14 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cloying.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see cloy

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cloying was in 1594

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near cloying

Cite this Entry

“Cloying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cloying. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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