Cloying

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈklɔɪ.ɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Excessively sweet or rich in flavor or scent, making it unpleasantly overpowering ; causing a feeling of disgust or aversion because of too much or too much sweetness or sentiment
2. Having a taste or smell so sugary or rich that it becomes uncomfortable ; provoking displeasure or nausea by being overly sentimental or too much of a good thing
3. Characterized by an overly sweet or rich quality that tires the senses ; producing a negative reaction due to an overabundance of sweetness or sentiment

Etymology: "Cloying" is the adjective form of "cloy," a verb meaning to surfeit someone with something, especially sweetness, until it becomes sickening. The word "cloy" is itself a shortened form of an older verb, "accloy," which meant to choke up or clog, drawn from the Old French "encloer," to nail or hammer in, which in turn came from Latin "inclavare," to fasten with a nail. The image is of something being driven in until it blocks a passage, and that sense of blockage carried over to the feeling of being stuffed full beyond comfort. Over time, "cloy" narrowed from general overfilling to the particular experience of too much of something pleasant. The sense that a rich dessert or a sentimental song can overwhelm the palate or the patience comes from this older idea of being clogged.

Synonyms: sickly, overly sweet, excessive

Antonyms: subtle, savory, bittersweet