slippery

American  

[slip-uh-ree, slip-ree] / ˈslɪp ə ri, ˈslɪp ri /

adjective

slipperier, slipperiest

1. tending or liable to cause slipping slip or sliding, as ice, oil, a wet surface, etc..

   a slippery road.

2. tending to slip from the hold or grasp or from position.

   a slippery rope.

3. likely to slip away or escape.

   slippery prospects.

4. not to be depended on; fickle; shifty, tricky, or deceitful.

5. unstable or insecure, as conditions.

   a slippery situation.

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slippery British  

/ -prɪ, ˈslɪpərɪ /

adjective

1. causing or tending to cause objects to slip

   a slippery road

2. liable to slip from the grasp, a position, etc

3. not to be relied upon; cunning and untrustworthy

   a slippery character

4. (esp of a situation) liable to change; unstable

5. a course of action that will lead to disaster or failure

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Other Word Forms

• nonslippery adjective
• slipperily adverb
• slipperiness noun
• unslippery adjective

Etymology

Origin of slippery

1525–35; alteration of slipper ²; compare Low German slipperig; -y ¹

Example Sentences

The slippery feeling is back, and that’s when I know for sure nothing I do will be enough.

From Literature

Godlove, a young chemist the publisher hired in 1931 to help bring scientific rigor to the slippery business of defining colors.

From The Wall Street Journal

When I shared the slippery walk in the family group chat, my daughter quipped: “Pretty place to die at least?!”

From The Wall Street Journal

And so I poured the ugly liquid into a small bottle and ran with it over the slippery, rain-washed streets of Haarlem.

From Literature

Admittedly, answering emails on the weekend can be a slippery slope.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• glistening
• greasy
• icy
• perilous
• polished
• silky
• unsafe
• unstable
• wet