treacly

[ tree-klee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

sentimental in a contrived or unrestrained way:
The stories too often feature clichéd piffle and end with treacly flourishes.
British. resembling molasses mixed with corn syrup in taste, color, texture, etc.:
The chestnut honey has a sweet, treacly taste with an earthy, nutty aroma.
We spent a delicious hour inhaling the treacly light of late afternoon.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of treacly¹

treacl(e) + -y ¹( def )

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Still, I muscled through many days of lessons on how to be a godly woman and treacly prayers read by Chris Pratt.

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But perhaps property values are just where the mind wanders when the story playing out is so treacly and stale.

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The days of treacly language about "pro-life" policies have given way to yelling about how "childless cat ladies" must be stopped.

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Frank‘s and Charley‘s very different definitions of what constitutes a friend offers an astringent alternative to our culture’s sometimes treacly, overly simplistic portrayal of the bond.

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Wielding a double-barreled shotgun in his review for The New York Times, the critic Stephen Holden dismissed Sparks’s book as “treacly” and called the film “a high-toned cinematic greeting card.”

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treacle mustard tread

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