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slippery

[ slip-uh-ree, slip-ree ]
/ ˈslɪp ə ri, ˈslɪp ri /
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See synonyms for: slippery / slipperier / slipperiness on Thesaurus.com
adjective, slip·per·i·er, slip·per·i·est.
tending or liable to cause slipping or sliding, as ice, oil, a wet surface, etc.: a slippery road.
tending to slip from the hold or grasp or from position: a slippery rope.
likely to slip away or escape: slippery prospects.
not to be depended on; fickle; shifty, tricky, or deceitful.
unstable or insecure, as conditions: a slippery situation.
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Origin of slippery

1525–35; alteration of slipper2; compare Low German slipperig;see -y1

OTHER WORDS FROM slippery

slip·per·i·ness, nounnon·slip·per·y, adjectiveun·slip·per·y, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to slippery

glistening, greasy, icy, perilous, polished, silky, unsafe, unstable, wet, elusive, shifty, slick, smooth, treacherous, tricky, unpredictable, glacé, glassy, glazed, lubricious

How to use slippery in a sentence

  • To me the cliff looked much like the Matterhorn, only slipperier.

    Everyday Adventures|Samuel Scoville

  • But when they get to mixin' in things they're slipperier than a bunch of quicksilver.

    The Long Dim Trail|Forrestine C. Hooker

  • And Copper with her unerring female instinct knew just what to do to make the footing slipperier.

    The Lani People|J. F. Bone

British Dictionary definitions for slippery

slippery
/ (ˈslɪpərɪ, -prɪ) /
adjective
causing or tending to cause objects to slipa slippery road
liable to slip from the grasp, a position, etc
not to be relied upon; cunning and untrustworthya slippery character
(esp of a situation) liable to change; unstable
slippery slope a course of action that will lead to disaster or failure

Derived forms of slippery

slipperily, adverbslipperiness, noun

Word Origin for slippery

C16: probably coined by Coverdale to translate German schlipfferig in Luther's Bible (Psalm 35:6); related to Old English slipor slippery
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
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