unctuous

/ˈʌŋ(k)t͡ʃʊəs/

//ˈʌŋ(k)t͡ʃʊəs// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"unctuous" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unctuous” is uncommon English (frequency #92,190 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#92,190
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having the nature or properties of an unguent or ointment; greasy, oily.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unctuous · unctuous · English

unctuous · rank #92,190 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #92,190
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unalloyed

Nearest frequency peer: unalloyed (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “unctuous”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “unctuous” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for unctuous
PropertyValue
Headwordunctuous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈʌŋ(k)t͡ʃʊəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#92,190
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unctuous” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).unctuousfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “unalloyed” (#92,189), “undine” (#92,191), “ultraviolence” (#92,187). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “unctuous” is #92,190. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

unctuous is uncommon English at frequency #92,190 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈʌŋ(k)t͡ʃʊəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for unctuous, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English unctuous [and other forms], borrowed from Medieval Latin ūnctuōsus (“greasy, oily, unctuous”), from Latin ūnctum (“ointment; rich banquet; rich savoury dish”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of; overly’ forming adjectives from nouns).… The correct English form is unctuous, spelled U-N-C-T-U-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having the nature or properties of an unguent or ointment; greasy, oily.
  2. 2
    Having fat or oil present; fatty, greasy, oily.
  3. 3
    Of an aroma or taste, or a beverage (such as coffee or wine) or food (such as gravy, meat, or sauce): having layers of concentrated, velvety flavour; lush, rich.
  4. 4
    Of soil: soft and sticky.
  5. 5
    Of a person:
  6. 6
    Of a person:

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how unctuous appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. It is, of the one part, / A humide exhalation, vvhich vve call / Materia liquida, or the Vnctuous VVater; […]
  2. [H]e ſeveral time obſerved, that cutting a Cheeſe in tvvo, vvhen they vvere any thing near the Equinoctial, that moſt part of it vvould be very dry and brittle, and ſeem'd as if it vvere ſpoil'd: VVhereas the Parts about the middle vvere ſo fat and ſoft, as if all the unctuous Parts that vvere vvanting in the dried Portion of the Cheeſe had retired thithe…

Etymology

From Late Middle English unctuous [and other forms], borrowed from Medieval Latin ūnctuōsus (“greasy, oily, unctuous”), from Latin ūnctum (“ointment; rich banquet; rich savoury dish”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of; overly’ forming adjectives from nouns). Ūnctum is a noun use of the perfect passive participle of unguō (“to anoint; to smear with oil, to grease or oil”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃engʷ- (“to anoint; to smear”). Cognates * Italian untuoso * Old French onctües, unctueus, unctuose (modern French onctueux) * Portuguese unctuoso * Spanish untuoso

Synonyms

adiposebutyraceousfattygreasylardaceousoilyoleaginouspinguidsaponaceoussebaceoussoapyunctuousunguinouswaxy

This word in other languages

untuoso(Español)onctueux(Français)ölig(Deutsch)melífluo(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "unctuous"?
"unctuous" is spelled U-N-C-T-U-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʌŋ(k)t͡ʃʊəs/.
What does "unctuous" mean?
As an adjective, "unctuous" means: Having the nature or properties of an unguent or ointment; greasy, oily.
How do you pronounce "unctuous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unctuous" is /ˈʌŋ(k)t͡ʃʊəs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "unctuous"?
From Late Middle English unctuous [and other forms], borrowed from Medieval Latin ūnctuōsus (“greasy, oily, unctuous”), from Latin ūnctum (“ointment; rich banquet; rich savoury dish”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of; overly’ forming adjectives fr... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "unctuous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

trunking#92,180urologic#92,202Valbuena#92,206valvular#92,208

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list