cloy ‧ ing /ˈklɔɪ-ɪŋ/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: cloy 'to be cloying' (16-21 centuries) , from accloy 'to make unable to walk' (14-18 centuries) , from Old French encloer 'to drive a nail in' , from Medieval Latin inclavare , from Latin clavus 'nail' ]
1 . a cloying attitude or quality annoys you because it is too sweet or nice:
cloying sentimentality
2 . cloying food or smells are sweet and make you feel sick:
the thick cloying smell of cheap perfume
—cloyingly adverb
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THESAURUS
▪ sweet sweet food or drink has had sugar added or contains natural sugars:
Italian oranges are very sweet.
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a cup of hot sweet tea
▪ sugary sweet because a lot of sugar has been added:
Sugary foods are bad for your teeth.
▪ sickly British English tasting unpleasantly sweet:
The dessert was rather sweet and sickly.
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a sickly sweet fruit drink
▪ cloying tasting or smelling unpleasantly sweet:
I find strawberry and peach drinks too cloying.
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the cloying smell of fish oil