Cloying is an adjective that means ‘distasteful in excess’ or ‘overly sentimental.’

The Latin word clavus (CLA voos) means ‘nail.’ When this word entered Middle English, its meaning shifted to ‘clog.’ It later evolved into ‘cloy,’ maintaining the same meaning. Our word of the day is used best in reference to something that would ordinarily be pleasant but becomes unpleasant in an excessive amount, for example: Don’t get me wrong, I love sugar on my breakfast cereal, but when heaped in such gigantic portions, it becomes a bit cloying.