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SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS

cloy

verb

To become tiresome or unpleasant through an excess of something initially pleasing.

Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.

Become tiresome through excess

Closest synonyms

Related words and expressions

These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.

Usage distinction

Pall fits the intransitive pattern. Surfeit, sate, and satiate normally take an object and can emphasize being filled to excess; cloy stresses the resulting distaste or boredom.

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CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT

See cloy in use

The repeated sentimental scenes began to cloy before the final chapter.
Dictionary practice example.
A succession of richly sweet samples began to cloy, although visitors had enjoyed the first one.
From A Tasting That Goes Too Far.

Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.

Synonym reference scope and sources

The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.

How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license

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