Smarmy

 WORD OF THE DAY

smarmy / adjective / SMAR-mee

Definition
1: revealing or marked by a smug, ingratiating, or false earnestness
2: of low sleazy taste or quality

Examples
"Before [Daniel Craig], James Bond was portrayed by Sean Connery as suave and immovable; by George Lazenby as vulnerable and tragic; by Roger Moore as smarmy and loose…."
— Aidan Whatman, Whatculture.com, 7 Oct. 2021

But his odd reluctance to name Trump—and his insistence on adopting a kind of smarmy passive aggression—only underscores a larger problem: Even the handful of Republicans who do denounce Trump will only go so far.
— Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 31 May 2021

Did You Know?
Something smarmy will often ooze with self-satisfaction and insincerity.
Much like its synonyms unctuous and slick, smarmy has a history that starts with a meaning of literal slipperiness or oiliness. The verb smarm appeared in English in the mid-19th century.
Etymologists don't know where it came from, but they do know that it meant "to smear," "to gush," or sometimes "to make smooth or oily." A few decades later, the use of smarm was extended to sometimes mean "to use flattery."
The adjective smarmy appeared in the early 20th century.
At first meaning "insincerely flattering" or "smug," it later took on an additional meaning: "sleazy."