greasy
Americanadjective
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greasier,
comparative
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greasiest
superlative
adjective
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coated or soiled with or as if with grease
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composed of or full of grease
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resembling grease
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unctuous or oily in manner
noun
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a shearer
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an outback cook, esp cooking for a number of men
Pronunciation
greasy is almost always pronounced as , with a medial , in the South Midland and Southern U.S. and as , with a medial , in New England, New York State, and the Great Lakes Basin. Speakers of New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania are divided, with some using and some using . Standard British English reflects both and pronunciations and British folk speech is also divided regionally, with heard in the eastern counties and in the central and western ones. Both pronunciations were brought to the colonies, where the present U.S. pattern emerged.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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greasinessnoun
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overgreasinessnoun
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nongreasyadjective
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overgreasyadjective
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ungreasyadjective
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greasilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of greasy
First recorded in 1505–15
Explanation
Greasy things are oily and slick, like those delicious greasy fries you eat at the state fair, and the greasy fingers you lick clean. Anything that contains or is covered with slippery fat is greasy, whether it's fried dough or a car's engine. Things that look oily, like your brother's unwashed hair, are also greasy. Both grease and greasy come from a Latin root meaning "fat." A "greasy spoon" is a small, inexpensive restaurant or diner, named for the fact that many foods in such a place tend to be fried in oil or other fats.
Vocabulary lists containing greasy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Those distinct layers of chilled dough and butter are what create puff pastry’s dramatic height, so if the sheet begins to feel limp or greasy, return it to the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
He was parachuted into parliament in a by-election last month to take his place on the green benches and, weeks later, at the top of the greasy pole.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
He shrewdly climbed what he called the greasy pole of Victorian politics, with his party not far behind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Once famous for a greasy pole-climbing competition that would grant the winner a piglet, past games have included horse racing, hare coursing and shooting.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
His breathing was heavy from exertion, and a greasy lank of hair swung over his face as he snatched the receiver from her and turned his back.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
We have yet to see an NFT artwork that didn’t look like a gas station display for novelty sunglasses, but somehow greasier?
From Slate ● Feb. 28, 2022
They were a little greasier — in a satisfying way — than the other air fryer batch, but they still tasted like an imitation of the real thing.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2021
To turn McDonald’s, a chain better known for supersized portions than for supercomputers, into a saltier, greasier version of Amazon.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 24, 2019
Hayes would boast about how much he loved “soul food,” the saltier and greasier the better.
From Washington Post ● May 7, 2019
It afforded an area of greasy and dirty brown cuticle and of moose skin, if possible dirtier and greasier still.
From The Wolf's Long Howl by Stanley Waterloo
He noted that students sometimes spurn the healthy fare offered in school lunches and dash out after school to “buy the greasiest things you ever saw.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2017
“He was a great leader who always had the greasiest tepee door, because he was generous and was always feeding people,” she said.
From New York Times ● Dec. 27, 2013
Fried broccoli rabe is locked inside some of the heaviest, greasiest batter I’ve ever tasted.
From New York Times ● Jun. 4, 2013
Friday’s with the rest of the sparkly rabble and ate the world’s greasiest quesadilla while watching the merrymakers stream by on the way to the after-party.
From Salon ● Jan. 2, 2013
It’s a puzzle why we binge on the sweetest and greasiest food we can find, until we consider the eating habits of our forager forebears.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
