slick

[ slik ]

/ slɪk /

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See synonyms for: slick / slicked / slicker / slicking on Thesaurus.com

adjective, slick·er, slick·est.

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

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.Compare pulp (def. 6).

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

smoothly; cleverly.

verb (used with object)

to make sleek or smooth.

to use a slicker on (skins or hides).

Informal. to spruce up; make smart or fine (usually followed by up).

OTHER WORDS FOR slick

3 wily, tricky, foxy, sharp.

6 glib, shallow, superficial.

See synonyms for slick on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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 adjectiveslik(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

OTHER WORDS FROM slick

slickly, adverbslickness, nounun·slicked, adjective

Words nearby slick

slice, slice bar, slice-of-life, slice of the pie, slicer, slick, slick as a whistle, slicken, slickenside, slicker, slickrock

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use slick in a sentence

Even without much precipitation, it can turn slick out there.
PM Update: Light snow mainly passes south of us tonight; cloudy and cold Friday|Ian Livingston|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
Some scientists called Gertrude’s introduction a slick publicity stunt, full of unachievable promises.
Can privacy coexist with technology that reads and changes brain activity?|Laura Sanders|February 11, 2021|Science News
Her hair has been in the same slicked-down style for about a month.
She used Gorilla Glue as hairspray. After 15 washes and a trip to the ER, it still won’t budge.|Lateshia Beachum|February 8, 2021|Washington Post
Express forecastForecast in detailLight wintry precipitation, ending this morning, may leave a few slick spots north and west of town, but we turn toward sunshine and relative warmth during the afternoon.
D.C.-area forecast: Turning warmer and breezy today. Snow chances rise Saturday night into Sunday.|A. Camden Walker|February 5, 2021|Washington Post

Keep an eye out for a couple of slick patches as it gets cold again tonight.
PM Update: Cold tonight under clearer skies, then it turns milder Thursday|Ian Livingston|February 3, 2021|Washington Post
Officials also had received reports of loud bangs—called in by fishermen—and an oil slick.
Wreckage, Bodies of AirAsia Crash Found|Lennox Samuels|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If your ears are tired of slick auto-tuned vocals, pick up this disk for an aural detox.
The Best Albums of 2014|Ted Gioia|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dressed in a slick black suit, Chapman discovers, say, how people come to be millionaires.
Ex-Spy Anna Chapman, From Russia Unloved|Anna Nemtsova|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Within 12 hours an oil slick is spotted, along with some wreckage.
MH370 Debris Is Lost Forever, Can the Plane Be Found Without It?|Clive Irving|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He licked them up with a slick bronzy tongue and spat a thick wad of honey-brown juice into the empty teacup.
Short Stories from The Daily Beast: Four Hundred Grand|Elliot Ackerman|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was goin' to slick up and drop around to see her, but this here Injun agent got in ahead of me.
Mystery Ranch|Arthur Chapman
A moonhead can say a slick thing once in a while and be none the worse, but darned if a clever chap can cut didoes.
Menotah|Ernest G. Henham
"It was a pretty slick way that you caught us," began the mate, lounging near Hal as he stood on deck.
Uncle Sam's Boys as Lieutenants|H. Irving Hancock
Jed's a mighty slick hand with the pasteboards, but he meets his boss in your Uncle Ephraim.
Si Klegg, Book 2 (of 6)|John McElroy
It's slick he calls me, but I'll bet me life he's been playing a slick game of his own with ye.
Frank Merriwell's Pursuit|Burt L. Standish

British Dictionary definitions for slick

slick

/ (slɪk) /

adjective

flattering and gliba slick salesman

adroitly devised or executeda slick show

informal, mainly US and Canadian shrewd; sly

informal superficially attractivea slick publication

mainly US and Canadian 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 (tr)

mainly US and Canadian to make smooth or sleek

US and Canadian informal (usually foll by up) to smarten or tidy (oneself)

(often foll by up) to make smooth or glossy

Derived forms of slick

slickly, adverbslickness, noun

Word Origin for slick

C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Icelandic, Norwegian slikja to be or make smooth

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

slick

OTHER WORDS FOR slick

Origin of slick

OTHER WORDS FROM slick

Words nearby slick

Words related to slick

How to use slick in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for slick

Derived forms of slick

Word Origin for slick