Words at Play : Top 10 Sophisticated Insults
Definition:
revealing or marked by a smug, ingratiating, and false earnestness or spirituality
Example:
"On his way to the batting cage Friday afternoon, [Alex] Rodriguez reverentially tapped the Joe DiMaggio sign 'I want to thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee' with his hand. He looked carefree, but who knows what such an unctuous person really feels?" Tyler Kepner, New York Times, August 9, 2013
About the Word:
Unction can mean "anointment" or it can name something used to anoint, such as a soothing or lubricating oil. That idea of oiliness led to unctuous, which can describe the slickness of false sincerity.