greasy

American  

[gree-see, ‑zee] / ˈgri si, ‑zi /

adjective

greasier, greasiest

1. smeared, covered, or soiled with grease.

2. composed of or containing grease; oily.

   greasy food.

3. greaselike in appearance or to the touch; slippery.

4. insinuatingly unctuous in manner; repulsively slick; oily.

5. Veterinary Pathology. affected with grease.

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greasy British  

/ -sɪ, ˈɡriːzɪ /

adjective

1. coated or soiled with or as if with grease

2. composed of or full of grease

3. resembling grease

4. unctuous or oily in manner

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noun

1. a shearer

2. 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

• greasily adverb
• greasiness noun
• nongreasy adjective
• overgreasiness noun
• overgreasy adjective
• ungreasy adjective

Etymology

Origin of greasy

First recorded in 1505–15

Example Sentences

That same greasy spoon appears in other TV and movie shots, including a scene with Meg Ryan in “Sleepless in Seattle.”

From The Wall Street Journal

He hands a greasy bag of food to Dad, who reaches for his pocket.

From Literature

And Sheba was huge, her nose long and pointed, her hair greasy gray tails swinging like thick ropes around her grinning face, her eyes red and piercing.

From Literature

Turing wipes his hands on a greasy towel as he talks.

From Literature

Across the lot, two people are sitting on the hood of a car facing the water, drinking from steel mugs and eating pastries from greasy paper bags.

From Literature

Related Words

• creamy
• fatty
• slick