Meaning & use

slippery

adjective·Everyday

Last updated

Having a smooth, wet, or greasy surface that makes it difficult to hold or stand on; or, figuratively, hard to pin down or trust.

See it in a sentence

The icy sidewalk was so slippery that she nearly fell twice.

The politician had a reputation as a slippery negotiator who never gave a straight answer.

A note on using this word

Beyond its literal sense, "slippery" is frequently used figuratively for people or arguments that are evasive or hard to pin down, as in "a slippery slope" or "a slippery character."

Words with a similar meaning

slickevasive

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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