slick

[ slik ]

adjective

, slick·er, slick·est.

1. smooth and glossy; sleek.
2. smooth in manners, speech, etc.; suave.
3. sly; shrewdly adroit:

   He's a slick customer, all right.

   Synonyms: superficial, shallow, glib, sharp, foxy, tricky, wily

4. ingenious; cleverly devised:

   a slick plan to get out of work.

5. slippery, especially from being covered with or as if with ice, water, or oil.
6. deftly executed and having surface appeal or sophistication, but shallow or glib in content; polished but superficial:

   a writer who has mastered every formula of slick fiction.

7. Slang. wonderful; fantastic; first-rate.

noun

1. a smooth or slippery place or spot or the substance causing it:

   oil slick.

2. Informal.
   1. a magazine printed on paper having a more or less glossy finish.
   2. such a magazine regarded as possessing qualities, as expensiveness, chic, and sophistication, that hold appeal for a particular readership, as one whose members enjoy or are seeking affluence.
   3. such a magazine regarded as having a sophisticated, deftly executed, but shallow or glib literary content. Compare pulp ( def 6 ).
3. any woodworking chisel having a blade more than 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide.
4. any of various paddlelike tools for smoothing a surface.
5. Automotive. a wide tire without a tread, used in racing.
6. Military Slang. a helicopter.
7. Metallurgy. a small trowel used for smoothing the surface of a mold.

adverb

1. smoothly; cleverly.

verb (used with object)

1. to make sleek or smooth.
2. to use a slicker on (skins or hides).
3. Informal. to spruce up; make smart or fine (usually followed by up ).

slick

/ slɪk /

adjective

1. flattering and glib

   a slick salesman

2. adroitly devised or executed

   a slick show

3. informal.
   shrewd; sly
4. informal.
   superficially attractive

   a slick publication

5. smooth and glossy; slippery

noun

1. a slippery area, esp a patch of oil floating on water
2. a chisel or other tool used for smoothing or polishing a surface
3. the tyre of a racing car that has worn treads

verb

1. to make smooth or sleek
2. informal.
   usually foll by up to smarten or tidy (oneself)
3. often foll by up to make smooth or glossy

Derived Forms

• ˈslickly, adverb
• ˈslickness, noun

Other Words From

• slickly adverb
• slickness noun
• un·slicked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slick¹

First recorded before 900 for the verb, 1350–1400 for the adjective; Middle English verb slicke(n), Old English (nīw)slīcod “(newly) polished”; Middle English adjective slik(e), slyk(e), from unrecorded Old English slice; cognate with dialectal Dutch sleek “even, smooth”; noun derivative of the verb or adjective; adverb derivative of the adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slick¹

C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Icelandic, Norwegian slikja to be or make smooth

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, the park’s mom-and-pop charms have struggled to keep up with the slick thrills offered by today’s corporate megaparks.

From Los Angeles Times

This gave him a prime learning spot - right next to its experienced and slick host Lynam.

From BBC

His well-weighted grubber put Ollie Lawrence in behind the Australia defence, which was still in disarray as Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Tom Curry, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Ben Earl combined in a slick passing move to put Chandler Cunningham-South in at the corner.

From BBC

“He’s slick, loves taxes, and more liberal than Gavin Newsom,” the narrator says as Newsom’s image blends with Rollins’.

From Los Angeles Times

He makes slick, galvanizing statements like, “We need to polish the Big Apple” and “If the place looks like hell, we’re going to attract the wrong people.”

From Slate

Related Words

• deft
• glib
• sharp
• shrewd
• skillful
• sly
• smooth
• sophisticated