Dictionary.com

oily

[ oi-lee ]
/ ˈɔɪ li /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR oily

adjective, oil·i·er, oil·i·est.

smeared or covered with oil; greasy: an oily road surface.
of the nature of, consisting of, or resembling oil.
of or relating to oil.
full of or containing oil.
smooth or unctuous, as in manner or speech: an oily hypocrite.

adverb

in an oily manner.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of oily

First recorded in 1520–30; oil + -y1

SYNONYMS FOR oily

5 fawning, smarmy, bootlicking.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR oily

OTHER WORDS FROM oily

oil·i·ness, nounnon·oil·y, adjectiveun·oil·y, adjective

Words nearby oily

oilstone, oil tanker, oiltight, oil varnish, oil well, oily, oink, oinochoe, ointment, Oireachtas, Oise
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to oily

buttery, waxy, slippery, creamy, oiled, bland, slick, lubricant, lustrous, polished, rich, sleek, smooth, soapy, soothing, swimming, unctuous, adipose, oleaginous, butyraceous

Example sentences from the Web for oily

British Dictionary definitions for oily

oily
/ (ˈɔɪlɪ) /

adjective oilier or oiliest

soaked in or smeared with oil or grease
consisting of, containing, or resembling oil
flatteringly servile or obsequious

Derived forms of oily

oilily, adverboiliness, 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