Cloy (Verb)
Meaning 1
Cause surfeit through excess though initially pleasing; "Too much spicy food cloyed his appetite".
Classification
Verbs of eating and drinking.
Examples
- The overly sweet melody cloyed her senses and made her lose interest in the song.
- The perfume of the flowers initially charmed him, but soon cloyed the air and made him feel suffocated.
- Her grandmother's constant affection cloyed the child, who craved some space to play on her own.
- The richness of the dessert initially delighted her, but soon cloyed her palate, leaving her feeling unpleasantly full.
- The overpowering fragrance of the scented candles cloyed the atmosphere, making it hard to enjoy the luxury of the room.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
Supply or feed to surfeit.
Classification
Verbs of buying, selling, owning.
Examples
- The overly sweet dessert cloyed her senses and left her feeling nauseous.
- Repeated advertising began to cloy the consumer with an unwelcome familiarity.
- The wealthy philanthropist's insistent offers of aid started to cloy the modest recipient's gratitude.
- The tourists began to feel their senses cloyed by the endless stalls selling identical trinkets.
- As the self-proclaimed expert continued to pontificate, his colleagues found themselves cloyed by his overbearing lecturing style.