Unction — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

excessive but superficial compliments given with affected charm

smug self-serving earnestness

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ˈʌŋkʃən/

🇬🇧British English

/ˈʌŋkʃən/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ˈʌŋkʃən/

2 syllables Say it as /ˈʌŋkʃən/.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

balm inunction oiliness ointment smarminess unctuousness unguent salve oleaginousness fulsomeness smarm

Word Forms

smarmy	adjective	unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
fulsome	adjective	unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
oily	adjective	unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
oleaginous	adjective	unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
unctuous	adjective	unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
salve	verb	apply a salve to, usually for the purpose of healing
inunct	verb	administer an oil or ointment to ; often in a religious ceremony of blessing

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Salbung

Übertriebene, aber oberflächliche Komplimente mit gekünsteltem Charme

🇫🇷French

onction

compliments excessifs mais superficiels donnés avec un charme affecté

🇪🇸Spanish

unción

Elogios excesivos pero superficiales dados con encanto afectado.

🇮🇹Italian

unzione

complimenti eccessivi ma superficiali fatti con fascino affettato

🇳🇱Dutch

zalving

buitensporige maar oppervlakkige complimenten gegeven met een aangetaste charme

🇵🇹Portuguese

unção

elogios excessivos, mas superficiais, dados com charme afetado

🇷🇺Russian

помазание

чрезмерные, но поверхностные комплименты, сделанные с наигранным обаянием

India

🇮🇳Hindi

गर्मजोशी

प्रभावशाली आकर्षण के साथ दी गई अत्यधिक लेकिन सतही तारीफ

🇮🇳Tamil

செயல்பாடு

பாதிக்கப்பட்ட வசீகரத்துடன் கொடுக்கப்பட்ட அதிகப்படியான ஆனால் மேலோட்டமான பாராட்டுக்கள்

🇮🇳Telugu

ఫంక్షన్

మితిమీరిన కానీ ఉపరితల పొగడ్తలు ప్రభావిత ఆకర్షణతో ఇవ్వబడ్డాయి

🇮🇳Gujarati

જોડાણ

અસરગ્રસ્ત વશીકરણ સાથે આપવામાં આવતી અતિશય પરંતુ સુપરફિસિયલ પ્રશંસા

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕಾರ್ಯ

ಅತಿಯಾದ ಆದರೆ ಬಾಹ್ಯ ಅಭಿನಂದನೆಗಳು ಪ್ರಭಾವಿತ ಮೋಡಿಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ನೀಡಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿವೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

പ്രവർത്തനം

അമിതമായ എന്നാൽ ഉപരിപ്ലവമായ അഭിനന്ദനങ്ങൾ ബാധിച്ച ചാരുതയോടെ നൽകിയിരിക്കുന്നു

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

涂油

矫揉造作的过度但肤浅的赞美

🇯🇵Japanese

機能

魅力を損なった過剰だが表面的な褒め言葉

🇰🇷Korean

기름 부음

영향을 받은 매력에 대해 과도하지만 피상적인 칭찬

🇻🇳Vietnamese

xức dầu

những lời khen ngợi quá mức nhưng hời hợt với sự quyến rũ bị ảnh hưởng

🇹🇭Thai

การดำเนินการ

คำชมที่มากเกินไปแต่ผิวเผินที่ให้ด้วยเสน่ห์ที่ส่งผลกระทบ

🇮🇩Indonesian

pemberian minyak suci

pujian yang berlebihan namun dangkal yang diberikan dengan pesona yang terpengaruh

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

مسحة

مجاملات مفرطة ولكن سطحية مع سحر متأثر

🇹🇷Turkish

birleşme

yapmacık bir çekicilikle verilen aşırı ama yüzeysel iltifatlar

🇮🇱Hebrew

מְשִׁיחָה

מחמאות מוגזמות אך שטחיות שניתנו בקסם מושפע

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'unction'?

The primary meaning of 'unction' is 'excessive but superficial compliments given with affected charm'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'unction' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'unction' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'unction' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'unction' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'unction' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'unction' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'unction' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'unction' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'unction' in a professional email?

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Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'unction' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted