Unctuousness — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

smug self-serving earnestness

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ˈʌŋktʃuːəsnəs/

🇬🇧British English

/ˈʌŋktʃuːəsnəs/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ˈʌŋktʃuːəsnəs/

3 syllables Say it as /ˈʌŋktʃuːəsnəs/.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

oiliness unction smarminess oleaginousness fulsomeness

Word Forms

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
smarmy	adjective	unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
unctuous	adjective	unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Salbung

selbstgefälliger, eigennütziger Ernst

🇫🇷French

onctuosité

sérieux et égoïste suffisant

🇪🇸Spanish

untuosidad

seriedad engreída y egoísta

🇮🇹Italian

untuosità

compiaciuta serietà egoistica

🇳🇱Dutch

zalving

zelfingenomen, egoïstische ernst

🇵🇹Portuguese

untuosidade

seriedade presunçosa e egoísta

🇷🇺Russian

елейность

самодовольная, корыстная серьёзность

India

🇮🇳Hindi

असावधानी

आत्मसंतुष्ट आत्म-सेवा ईमानदारी

🇧🇩Bengali

অসংলগ্নতা

smug স্ব-পরিষেবা আন্তরিকতা

🇮🇳Marathi

असभ्यता

स्वत: ची सेवा करण्याची तळमळ

🇮🇳Gujarati

અસ્પષ્ટતા

સ્મગ સ્વ-સેવા ઉત્કટતા

🇮🇳Kannada

ಅಸ್ಪಷ್ಟತೆ

ಸ್ಮಗ್ ಸ್ವಯಂ ಸೇವೆಯ ಶ್ರದ್ಧೆ

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਬੇਚੈਨੀ

ਸਵੈ-ਸੇਵਾ ਕਰਨ ਦੀ ਲਗਨ ਨੂੰ smug

🇵🇰Urdu

بے حسی

اسمگ سیلف سرونگ دیانتداری

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

油腻

自鸣得意的自私的认真

🇯🇵Japanese

滑らかさ

独善的な利己的な真面目さ

🇰🇷Korean

세심함

잘난 체하는 이기적인 진지함

🇻🇳Vietnamese

sự không khéo léo

sự nghiêm túc tự mãn

🇹🇭Thai

ความไม่ชัดเจน

ความเอาจริงเอาจังในการให้บริการตนเอง

🇮🇩Indonesian

ketidakberaturan

kesungguhan yang mementingkan diri sendiri dan sombong

🇵🇭Filipino

pagiging unctuousness

mayabang na pagkaseryoso sa sarili

🇲🇾Malay

tidak berhati hati

kesungguhan mementingkan diri sendiri

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

عدم التجانس

متعجرف الجدية في خدمة الذات

🇮🇷Persian

بی ادبی

جدیت خودخواهانه

🇹🇷Turkish

dikkatsizlik

kendini beğenmiş, kendine hizmet eden ciddiyet

🇮🇱Hebrew

חוסר תום לב

רצינות זחוחה של שירות עצמי

Test Yourself1 / 3

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

The primary meaning of 'unctuousness' is 'smug self-serving earnestness'.

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

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

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

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

Community Poll1 / 6

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

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'unctuousness' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

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

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

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

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

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

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Never

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

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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