adjective
-
resembling or having the properties of oil
-
containing or producing oil
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of oleaginous
First recorded in 1425–50; Middle English oliaginose, (from Middle French oléagineux), from Latin oleāgineus, oleāginius, oleāginus “pertaining to an olive tree,” derivative of olea “olive, olive tree” ( see origin at olive)
Explanation
If your archenemy remarks on your oleaginous skin, she's not giving you a compliment. She's calling you oily-faced. You can impress your friends by commenting on how disgustingly oleaginous your pizza is, or despair over the oleaginous state of an ocean bay after an oil spill. Either way, you're using a fancy word for greasy or oily. And if you run into a particularly slick car salesman, you can describe him as oleaginous too. The adjective oleaginous comes from the Latin root oleaginus, "of the olive."
Vocabulary lists containing oleaginous
All the King's Men
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Where the World Ends
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
The oleaginous Bruno becomes both personification and executor of Guy’s desires.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Ragoravich is predictably oleaginous, a man with a file cabinet full of hidden agendas, but he is charmingly persuasive, and the money has already been wired into Maggie’s account.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2025
But the most villainous entity they encounter is a duplicitous schemer played with oleaginous insincerity by Hugh Grant.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 28, 2023
Naturally, the oleaginous Senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, got in on the act:
From Salon ● Jan. 26, 2022
Among persons living in cold climates, the appetite for oleaginous food is especially eager; and they require large quantities of it to enable them to resist the depressing influences of cold.
From A Treatise on Physiology and Hygiene For Educational Institutions and General Readers by Joseph Chrisman Hutchison
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.
