MEANING
To become unpleasant through an excess of sweetness, richness, sentiment, or repeated gratification.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- sweetness cloys
- cloy the palate
- begin to cloy
On the page
The confection cloyed after the first bite, though its aroma remained inviting.
His endless compliments began to cloy once she noticed how little attention he paid to her answers.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- cloy
- Past tense
- cloyed
- Past participle
- cloyed
- Present participle
- cloying
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- cloy
- Present continuous
- am/is/are cloying
- Present perfect
- have/has cloyed
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been cloying
- Past
- cloyed
- Past continuous
- was/were cloying
- Past perfect
- had cloyed
- Past perfect continuous
- had been cloying
- Future
- will cloy
- Future continuous
- will be cloying
- Future perfect
- will have cloyed
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been cloying
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: sensory / description. Forms: cloy; cloys; cloyed; cloyed; cloying Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: cloys.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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