Cloyingly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Excessively sweet or sentimental to the point of causing discomfort or disgust
2. Overly sweet or sentimental to such an extent that it becomes unpleasant or distasteful
3. Extremely sugary or emotional to a degree that leads to feelings of nausea or aversion

Etymology: "Cloyingly" is the adverb of "cloying," which itself comes from "cloy," a verb meaning to fill someone up until they no longer want more. The verb is a shortened form of "accloy," from Old French "encloer" ("to nail up" or "to hinder"), which in turn traces back to Latin "claustrum," a bar or enclosure. So the sense of being overfilled came first, and distaste followed from it. The adverb is built in the most ordinary way. The adjective "cloying" takes the suffix "-ly," which turns an adjective into an adverb meaning "in a cloying manner." The suffix itself descends from the Old English "-līċe," a word meaning "like" or "in the manner of," which is why "-ly" still signals manner in words like "quickly" and "gently."

Synonyms: sickly, overly sweetly

Antonyms: savory, plainly