treacly

[ tree-klee ]

/ ˈtri kli /

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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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SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

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Origin of treacly

treacl(e) + -y¹

Words nearby treacly

treacherous, treacherously, treachery, treacle, treacle mustard, treacly, tread, treadle, treadmill, tread the boards, tread water

How to use treacly in a sentence

The writers of aphoristic treacle are no more innocent than the purveyors of sugary drinks.
Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Archer’ aims for profundity but misses|Ron Charles|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
And we all remember good-but-overpraised songs like If I Had a Hammer and the treacly classic Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
The Death of 'Stalin's Songbird'|Michael Moynihan|January 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Screw those treacly holiday offerings aiming to melt your heart or lift your spirits.
Sarah Palin Serves Up a Healthy Serving of Venom in Her Christmas Book|Michelle Cottle|November 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Here was this anti-war holiday demoted to treacly sentimentality.
Mother’s Day 2013: Gloria Steinem, Erica Jong & Writers Thank Their Moms|Gloria Steinem, Erica Jong, Fay Weldon, Dalma Heyn, Joyce Maynard|May 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST

It avoids that treacly, touchy-feely ground on which Democrats so love to walk.
Michael Tomasky: With Joe Biden’s Speech, The Democrats Finally Man Up|Michael Tomasky|April 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It was improving and patronising and treacly, and full of information, partly about the lectures, but mostly about himself.
The Romance of His Life|Mary Cholmondeley
The thick treacly liquid is thus drawn out into a thread of such fineness that a microscope is necessary to find it with.
Marvels of Scientific Invention|Thomas W. Corbin
His eyes sought answer from the river and saw a rowboat rock at anchor on the treacly swells lazily its plastered board.
Ulysses|James Joyce
The glaze is treacly black, often applied unevenly and sometimes pitted with air bubbles.
The Cultural History of Marlborough, Virginia|C. Malcolm Watkins
The sugar in those days was the dark, treacly kind, that left a stain on the floor like blood; it came in casks.
Early Days in North Queensland|Edward Palmer