Unction

//ˈʌŋk.ʃən// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An ointment or salve. countable, uncountable

    "The King himſelf the ſacred Unction made, / As King by Office, and as Prieſt by Trade: […]"

  2. 2
    anointing as part of a religious ceremony or healing ritual wordnet
  3. 3
    A religious or ceremonial anointing. countable, uncountable

    "To be heir, and to be king / By sacred unction, thy deserved right."

  4. 4
    semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine) applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an irritation wordnet
  5. 5
    A balm or something that soothes. countable, uncountable
Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    smug self-serving earnestness wordnet
  2. 7
    A quality in language, address or delivery which expresses sober and fervent emotion. countable, uncountable

    "Krook almost smacks his lips with the unction of a horrible interest."

  3. 8
    excessive but superficial compliments given with affected charm wordnet
  4. 9
    Unctuousness: A smug, exaggerated use of language; smarminess. countable, uncountable
  5. 10
    Divine or sanctifying grace. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
ointmentaffectationanointmentbalmbalmbalsam

Example

More examples

"The priest administered Extreme Unction."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin unctiō.

Related phrases

extreme unctionextreme unction

More for "unction"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.