treacle

American  

[tree-kuhl] / ˈtri kəl /

noun

1. contrived or unrestrained sentimentality.

   a movie plot of the most shameless treacle.

2. British.

   1. molasses, especially that which is drained from the vats used in sugar refining.

   2. Also called golden syrup.  a mild mixture of molasses, corn syrup, etc., used in cooking or as a table syrup.

3. Pharmacology, Obsolete. any of various medicinal compounds, formerly used as antidotes for poison.

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treacle British  

/ ˈtriːkəl /

noun

1. Also called: black treacle.  a dark viscous syrup obtained during the refining of sugar

2. another name for golden syrup

3. anything sweet and cloying

4. obsolete any of various preparations used as an antidote to poisoning

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Other Word Forms

• treacliness noun
• treacly adjective

Etymology

Origin of treacle

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, variant of triacle “antidote,” from Middle French, Old French, from Latin thēriaca, from Greek thēriakḗ, noun use of feminine of thēriakós “concerning wild beasts,” equivalent to thērí(on) “wild beast” ( thḗr “wild beast” + -ion diminutive suffix) + -akos -ac

Explanation

Use the noun treacle to describe a book or a song that is so sweet and sappy that it makes you feel a little sick. Treacle is literally a type of thick, sticky syrup — that might help you remember its primary, figurative meaning as non-food that’s syrupy and sentimental. When someone lays on the flattery, that's treacle, as are overly sentimental music and calling your girlfriend "schmoopy-poo." Interestingly, the word treacle was originally used to mean "poison antidote," from the Greek root word thēriakē, "antidote for venom."

Example Sentences

There was even a moment in the match when Walker's burst of speed down the right made Zouma look like he was running in treacle.

From BBC • Sep. 17, 2023

But the lime changes things, adding sour to the sweet, tart to the treacle and a dash of pucker to the saccharine.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 28, 2023

“Flamin’ Hot” is the type of feel-good treacle that high school teachers screened for their Mexican American students when I was coming of age in the 1990s to make us feel better about ourselves.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2023

In a way, the show is quirkily counterintuitive, turning a quintessentially British activity, such as making treacle tarts, into an excuse for Broadway-style song and dance.

From Washington Post • Apr. 20, 2023

“They left half of themselves behind,” said Mr. Weasley, now spooning large amounts of treacle onto his porridge.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling