Grammar Tips & Articles »

unctuous - vocabulary

This Grammar.com article is about unctuous - vocabulary — enjoy your reading!


20 sec read
1,755 Views
  Ed Good  —  Grammar Tips
Font size:

adjective

Characterized by excessive moralistic fervor, especially in an affected manner; excessively smooth or smug; characteristic of an unguent or oil, oily, greasy; abundant in organic material, as in unctuous soil.

Congress—these, for the most part, illiterate hacks whose fancy vests are spotted with gravy and whose speeches, hypocritical, unctuous and slovenly, are spotted also with the gravy of political patronage.

—Mary McCarthy On the Contrary (1961)

Rate this article:

Have a discussion about this article with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this article to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "unctuous - vocabulary." Grammar.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.grammar.com/unctuous-vocabulary>.

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

    Free Writing Tool:

    Instant
    Grammar Checker

    Improve your grammar, vocabulary, style, and writing — all for FREE!


    Quiz

    Are you a grammar master?

    »
    Choose the sentence with the correct word order:
    A She quickly solved the difficult puzzle.
    B Always he arrives on time for meetings.
    C In the park, children play happily.
    D The train arrived at the station early.

    Improve your writing now:

    Download Grammar eBooks

    It’s now more important than ever to develop a powerful writing style. After all, most communication takes place in reports, emails, and instant messages.