slick
Americanadjective
-
slicker,
comparative
-
slickest
superlative
-
smooth and glossy; sleek.
-
smooth in manners, speech, etc.; suave.
-
sly; shrewdly adroit.
He's a slick customer, all right.
-
ingenious; cleverly devised.
a slick plan to get out of work.
-
slippery, especially from being covered with or as if with ice, water, or oil.
-
deftly executed and having surface appeal or sophistication, but shallow or glib in content; polished but superficial.
a writer who has mastered every formula of slick fiction.
-
Slang. wonderful; fantastic; first-rate.
noun
-
slicks
plural
-
a smooth or slippery place or spot or the substance causing it.
oil slick.
-
Informal.
-
a magazine printed on paper having a more or less glossy finish.
-
such a magazine regarded as possessing qualities, as expensiveness, chic, and sophistication, that hold appeal for a particular readership, as one whose members enjoy or are seeking affluence.
-
such a magazine regarded as having a sophisticated, deftly executed, but shallow or glib literary content.
-
-
any woodworking chisel having a blade more than 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide.
-
any of various paddlelike tools for smoothing a surface.
-
Automotive. a wide tire without a tread, used in racing.
-
Military Slang. a helicopter.
-
Metallurgy. a small trowel used for smoothing the surface of a mold.
adverb
verb (used with object)
-
slicks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slicked,
past participle, past
-
slicking
present participle
-
to make sleek or smooth.
-
to use a slicker on (skins or hides).
-
Informal. to spruce up; make smart or fine (usually followed byup ).
adjective
-
flattering and glib
a slick salesman
-
adroitly devised or executed
a slick show
-
informal shrewd; sly
-
informal superficially attractive
a slick publication
-
smooth and glossy; slippery
noun
-
a slippery area, esp a patch of oil floating on water
-
a chisel or other tool used for smoothing or polishing a surface
-
the tyre of a racing car that has worn treads
verb
-
to make smooth or sleek
-
informal (usually foll by up) to smarten or tidy (oneself)
-
(often foll by up) to make smooth or glossy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
slicksimple
-
slickssimple
-
have slickedperfect
-
has slickedperfect
-
am slickingprogressive
-
are slickingprogressive
-
is slickingprogressive
-
have been slickingperfect progressive
-
has been slickingperfect progressive
Past
-
slickedsimple
-
had slickedperfect
-
was slickingprogressive
-
were slickingprogressive
-
had been slickingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slick
First recorded before 900 for the verb, 1350–1400 for the adjective; Middle English verb slicke(n), Old English (nīw)slīcod “(newly) polished”; Middle English adjective slik(e), slyk(e), from unrecorded Old English slice; cognate with dialectal Dutch sleek “even, smooth”; noun derivative of the verb or adjective; adverb derivative of the adjective
Explanation
Slick means smooth or slippery, but it can also describe a smooth, effortless style. How did that Girl Scout talk you into buying so many boxes of cookies? It must have been her slick sales pitch. A great salesman is often described as slick — he or she seems more like a friend than someone trying to sell you something. Things that are smooth and glossy can also be called slick, like the surface of a glass table or an icy patch on the sidewalk. Slick is also a verb, meaning "to smooth," like when you slick back your hair. The oldest meaning of slick is shiny, and in the 1620s, it was even the name of a kind of cosmetic.
Vocabulary lists containing slick
The Skin I'm In
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!
"Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
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!
All The Feels: Touching Words For Textures
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
He isn’t polished, let alone slick; he conveys a rough-hewn authenticity and comfort in his own skin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
He has since reinvented himself as a man of the people, melding a relaxed, folksy style with slick social media videos.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
After going close through more slick attacking play, England dismantled Argentina's scrum, allowing Earl to dot down before another melee broke out during the celebrations.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
It also had a slick five-speed manual transmission, peppy engine and nimble steering.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
Bobby, dressed in a light zip-up jacket that wasn't warm enough, pressed on despite the discomfort, his pieces occasionally sliding off the cement tables slick with rain.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
On local Telegram chat groups, people shared photos of oil slicks in the sea, black puddles on the road and stray animals covered in oily droplets.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
The threat to desalination plants posed by missiles or possible oil slicks should also not be underestimated.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 19, 2026
Delpique is over six feet tall and slicks his dark hair straight back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 13, 2025
Altogether, the color, flavor and textural differentiation is incredibly varied: briny, oily, herbaceous sauce slicks the crisped salmon, with the crunchy leeks providing another dimension of flavor and texture.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2025
In the night, you couldn’t even see the oil slicks on the water.
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
Dr. Makary is slicker than a pharmaceutical salesman.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
Skiers have to re-don their skis at the top for one final climb, and Fatton was much slicker than Harrop, racing away to a lead she never looked likely to relinquish.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
Mostly that has meant pretending to be a Real American by riding horses, going hunting or driving around in a pick-up to prove they aren’t some effete city slicker.
From Salon ● Nov. 23, 2025
As studio horror has gotten slicker and funnier, closer to an amusement park ride than anything truly unnerving, it’s probably better to judge these films for their date-like qualities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2025
After returning inside, he stoked the fire, then pulled on his rubber boots and his rain slicker.
From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen
Back then, he walked into a humming, world championship–caliber operation, where everything had been optimized to the slickest, shiniest possible standards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
What difference has the world’s biggest and slickest art fair organizer made?
From New York Times ● Oct. 20, 2022
Liz Truss has acknowledged that she is not the slickest media performer and what some senior Tories describe as her "wooden" style could impact on her prospects.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2022
Trea Turner, the Dodgers’ slickest baserunner, explains how he developed the smoothest and coolest slide in baseball.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2022
“I know city slickers when I see ’em and them thar’s two of the slickest of ’em all.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Eventually, Giuliani appears in the flesh, his blond hair slicked back like his father’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Googoosh appears as chic as ever with her signature honey-gold hair slicked to the side and impeccable Covergirl-worthy shimmery makeup that makes the 75-year-old look decades younger.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2025
A childhood Liverpool fan, she used to run around the house in a replica shirt, her curly hair slicked back to resemble Spanish striker Fernando Torres.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2025
The finished dish should be incredibly silky and thick, with perfectly al dente noodles slicked in a rich, lemony sauce.
From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2025
A jolt of pain ricocheted through Koffi’s body as a part of the splendor moved from host to another, sweat slicked her neck as it moved, but she remained still.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
It's easy to see the oil slicking the surface and when I dip my hand in, it comes out streaked with oil.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026
In this easy weeknight recipe, lime juice and a touch of soy sauce accentuate the citrusy, savory spice, especially once reduced to a sticky pan sauce for slicking pork chops.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 15, 2023
That extra fat fortifies them, slicking each tooth-like kernel so that it catches the gleam of the sun.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 28, 2022
Sure, it’s a stagy premise, and the script might benefit from more nuance, especially in the figure of Charlie, whom Holum portrays by slicking pomade into her hair and strutting around like Elvis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2016
He began slicking back his hair with water and dating girls, and her only friend was Atticus.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
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.
