smarminess
Slick insincere charm
Smarminess is the quality of being excessively flattering, ingratiating, or unctuous in a way that feels insincere.
Someone with smarminess oozes false charm—their compliments feel calculated, their friendliness transparently self-serving: The salesman's smarminess made me want to leave the dealership.
The word suggests slickness that repels rather than attracts.
Servilely flattering
- toadyingObsequious behavior seeking favor
- bootlickingServile flattery for advantage
- grovelingDemeaning self-abasement before another
- kowtowingSubmissive display of respect
servile · subservient · cringing · fawning · unctuous · oleaginous · slavish · prostrating
Excessive insincere flattery
- butteringSpreading soft dairy fat
- sweet-talkFlatter to persuade
- schmoozeChat to gain favor
- soft-soapPersuade through flattery
blandishment · ingratiate · gush · cajole · coax · apple-polishing · brown-nosing · glad-handing
Excessively and insincerely earnest
- oilyCovered in grease
- slickSmooth or craftily adept
- suaveSmoothly refined in manner
- glibSuperficially articulate
smooth · oleaginous · greasy · silky · polished · urbane · svelte · sleek
sycophantic
Servilely flattering
- toadyingObsequious behavior seeking favor
- bootlickingServile flattery for advantage
- grovelingDemeaning self-abasement before another
kowtowing · servile · subservient · cringing · fawning · unctuous · oleaginous · slavish · prostrating · bowing
fawning
Excessive insincere flattery
- butteringSpreading soft dairy fat
- sweet-talkFlatter to persuade
- schmoozeChat to gain favor
soft-soap · blandishment · ingratiate · gush · cajole · coax · apple-polishing · brown-nosing · glad-handing · backslapping
unctuous
Excessively and insincerely earnest
glib · smooth · oleaginous · greasy · silky · polished · urbane · svelte · sleek · slimy
phony
Fraudulent person or thing
- disingenuousFeigning ignorance or innocence
- two-facedInsincere and deceptive
- feignedFalsely displayed or simulated
fake · pretense · falseness · artificiality · duplicity · hypocrisy · hollow · sham · charlatan · snake-oil
shallow
Without much depth
skin-deep · cosmetic · appearance · gloss · sheen · pretense · showiness · slickness · flashiness · affectation
smarminesssincerity
Honest, unfeigned genuineness
genuineness · authenticity · earnestness · candor · honesty
smarminessbluntness
Frank, unvarnished manner
directness · plainspokenness · frankness · brusqueness · gruffness
smarminessunpretentiousness
Absence of showiness
modesty · humility · naturalness · unaffectedness · simplicity