slippery

[ slip-uh-ree, slip-ree ]
See synonyms for: slipperyslipperierslipperiness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,slip·per·i·er, slip·per·i·est.
  1. tending or liable to cause slipping or sliding, as ice, oil, a wet surface, etc.: a slippery road.

  2. tending to slip from the hold or grasp or from position: a slippery rope.

  1. likely to slip away or escape: slippery prospects.

  2. not to be depended on; fickle; shifty, tricky, or deceitful.

  3. unstable or insecure, as conditions: a slippery situation.

Origin of slippery

1
1525–35; alteration of slipper2; compare Low German slipperig;see -y1

Other words from slippery

  • slip·per·i·ness, noun
  • non·slip·per·y, adjective
  • un·slip·per·y, adjective

Words Nearby slippery

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use slippery in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for slippery

slippery

/ (ˈslɪpərɪ, -prɪ) /


adjective
  1. causing or tending to cause objects to slip: a slippery road

  2. liable to slip from the grasp, a position, etc

  1. not to be relied upon; cunning and untrustworthy: a slippery character

  2. (esp of a situation) liable to change; unstable

  3. slippery slope a course of action that will lead to disaster or failure

Origin of slippery

1
C16: probably coined by Coverdale to translate German schlipfferig in Luther's Bible (Psalm 35:6); related to Old English slipor slippery

Derived forms of slippery

  • slipperily, adverb
  • slipperiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012