oleaginous

American  

[oh-lee-aj-uh-nuhs] / ˌoʊ liˈædʒ ə nəs /

adjective

1. having the nature or qualities of oil.

2. containing oil.

3. producing oil.

4. unctuous; fawning; smarmy.

---

oleaginous British  

/ ˌəʊlɪˈædʒɪnəs /

adjective

1. resembling or having the properties of oil

2. containing or producing oil

---

Other Word Forms

• oleaginousness noun

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."

Example Sentences

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

But she is conflicted about Rumsfeld, who comes off as both an oleaginous creep and a master political schemer.

From Washington Post • Feb. 11, 2019

Excess of oil, albumen, and starch produce liability to arthritic, bilious, and rheumatic affections; a deficiency of oleaginous materials, scrofula, &c.”

From Martyria or Andersonville Prison by Hamlin, Augustus C.