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View synonyms for oily

oily

[ oi-lee ]

adjective

, oil·i·er, oil·i·est.
  1. smeared or covered with oil; greasy:

    an oily road surface.

  2. of the nature of, consisting of, or resembling oil.
  3. of or relating to oil.
  4. full of or containing oil.
  5. smooth or unctuous, as in manner or speech:

    an oily hypocrite.

    Synonyms: smarmy



adverb

  1. in an oily manner.

oily

/ ˈɔɪlɪ /

adjective

  1. soaked in or smeared with oil or grease
  2. consisting of, containing, or resembling oil
  3. flatteringly servile or obsequious
“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


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Derived Forms

  • ˈoilily, adverb
  • ˈoiliness, noun
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Other Words From

  • oili·ness noun
  • non·oily adjective
  • un·oily adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of oily1

First recorded in 1520–30; oil + -y 1
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Example Sentences

This bug repellant has a citrusy scent and doesn’t leave any oily residue after a generous mist.

With a 25 percent deet formula, the EPA-approved Cutter Backwoods Dry is less oily and less pungent than other similar sprays.

Most of the brands I’ve tried are too oily, smell terrible or rely on a disconcertingly high quantity of deet for me to want to use regularly.

Pigskin is great for oily or wet situations, and elkskin is even better at resisting high temperatures than cow leather.

We stacked ingredients on the floor and pulled oily gray rags from a bag to wipe down counters.

From Eater

It is oily, dark and almost rotten tasting, but it did not make me unwell.

Like a muffaletta, the bread must be chewy enough to stay tough when wrapped around oily foods.

The meat glistened seductively with melted butter, piled high and steaming on top of a crisp, oily split-top bun.

In the lean rainy season, the women switched out meat and oily sauces for vegetables.

I always thought Ari Fleischer and Lanny Davis (two of the “experts” advising Snyder on PR) were oily.

She was in a dream of oily odours and monstrous iron constructions, dominated by the grand foreman: and Edwin was in the dream.

Captain Vane came from the observatory, his face blazing with excitement and oily with heat, to announce the fact.

The flavor is rich and mellow; a little more oily than Havana leaf.

Immediately, the liquid became pure and colorless and the surface indicated a distinctly oily film.

This fire is built of oily nuts found in the forest, and the thick smoke arises through what would be the neck of the bottle.

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