oily

[ oi-lee ]

/ ˈɔɪ li /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR oily ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

Origin of oily

First recorded in 1520–30; oil + -y¹

SYNONYMS FOR oily

5 fawning, smarmy, bootlicking.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR oily ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for oily

It is oily, dark and almost rotten tasting, but it did not make me unwell.
Tales of a Jailhouse Gourmet: How I learned to Cook in Prison|Daniel Genis|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The meat glistened seductively with melted butter, piled high and steaming on top of a crisp, oily split-top bun.
My Big, Buttery Lobster Roll Rumble: We Came, We Clawed, We Conquered|Scott Bixby|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the lean rainy season, the women switched out meat and oily sauces for vegetables.
How Famines Make Future Generations Fat|Carrie Arnold|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I always thought Ari Fleischer and Lanny Davis (two of the “experts” advising Snyder on PR) were oily.
Dan Snyder’s Trail of Crocodile Tears|Michael Tomasky|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Oily, breakable touchscreens are largely a thing of the past.
How ‘Her’ Gets the Future Right|Andrew Romano|December 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If the color is too thin and oily the operator will find it hard work to smooth it evenly.
Graining and Marbling|Frederick Maire
Mr. Hunsden's eloquence was not, it will be perceived, of the smooth and oily order.
The Professor|(AKA Charlotte Bronte) Currer Bell
The blood in venesection has an oily appearance, and displays small particles like sand.
Gilbertus Anglicus|Henry Ebenezer Handerson
At this encampment we ate the last of our meat; and broke the bones with our hatchet for the oily marrow in them.
Early Western Travels 1748-1846, Volume 28|Various
In excess it renders one "too smooth" and "oily;" while its deficiency renders one boorish, unattractive and disagreeable.
How to Read Human Nature|William Walker Atkinson

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 Formsoilily, 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

Word Origin and History for oily

oily

adj.

1520s, from oil (n.) + -y (2). Figurative meaning "smooth, unctuous" is from 1590s. Related: Oiliness.

oily

adjective, oil·i·er, oil·i·est.

adverb

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of oily

Examples from the Web for oily

British Dictionary definitions for oily

oily

adjective oilier or oiliest

Word Origin and History for oily

oily