cloy
verb
\ ˈklȯi
\
\
cloyed;
cloying;
cloys
Definition of cloy
: to supply with an unwanted or distasteful excess usually of something originally pleasing
… Cordelia has been cloyed by her sisters' excessive protestations of affection …— Rebecca West
: to be or become insipid or distasteful usually through an excess of an originally pleasurable quality (such as sweetness)
… curious how the lemon keeps its bite when the sweet flavours have begun to cloy, and the crispness has departed.— Eric Korn
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Examples of cloy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
No Passover Seder seemed authentic without its square-shaped, ripple-faced matzo and a shot or more of the syrupy Concord grape wine that many find cloying yet nostalgic. — Joseph Berger, New York Times, "‘Man, Oh Manischewitz’: Kosher Food Merger Opens New Chapter for Famous Name," 2 Aug. 2019 Plenty sweet, to be sure, but certainly not cloying, and despite the grapes’ long hang time the flavors are perfectly fresh — pert and bright, as opposed to the stewy-fruit notes that often burden late-harvest wines. — Esther Mobley, SFChronicle.com, "Why don’t we drink dessert wine?," 11 July 2019 The use of music — more filler than necessary at times — is also cloying. — Alan Zilberman, Twin Cities, "Toni Morrison is a great storyteller, in her books and in this new documentary," 4 July 2019 The Cold Blue builds a mesmerizing historical journey with a one-two punch of technological wizardry and emotional but never cloying artistry. — Chuck Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "'Cold Blue' Shows the B-17 Bomber Like You've Never Seen It Before," 16 May 2019 Tea also solves the most common problem of mocktails — cloying sweetness. — Joy Manning, Philly.com, "Where to drink in Philadelphia during Dry July," 12 July 2018 On the other hand, semi-sweet or milk chocolate can sometimes be cloying because there isn’t that bitter contrast. — Jennifer Farley, charlotteobserver, "What is umami anyway? A guide to cooking with flavor and spice | Charlotte Observer," 10 Apr. 2018 Unfortunately, everything else in this misadventure, from annoying love interests to cloying sidekicks, is a mine cart going off the rails. 30. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "All of Steven Spielberg's movies (including 'Ready Player One'), ranked," 28 Mar. 2018 In retrospect, some of the things that wouldn’t work quite as well about the series (like cloying, overobvious song choices) were present from the very first episode, too. — Todd Vanderwerff, Slate Magazine, "The TV Club, 2017," 20 Dec. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cloy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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