Something that is slippery is smooth, wet, or oily and is therefore difficult to walk on or to hold.
The tiled floor was wet and slippery.
Motorists were warned to beware of slippery conditions.
Synonyms: smooth, icy, greasy, glassy More Synonyms of slippery
2. adjective
You can describe someone as slippery if you think that they are dishonest in a clever way and cannot be trusted.
[disapproval]
He is a slippery customer, and should be carefully watched.
3.
See slippery slope
More Synonyms of slippery
slippery in British English
(ˈslɪpərɪ, -prɪ)
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. slippery slope
Derived forms
slipperily (ˈslipperily)
adverb
slipperiness (ˈslipperiness)
noun
Word origin
C16: probably coined by Coverdale to translate German schlipfferig in Luther's Bible (Psalm 35:6); related to Old English slipor slippery
slippery in American English
(ˈslɪpəri; ˈslɪpri)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈslipperier or ˈslipperiest
1.
causing or liable to cause sliding or slipping, as a wet, waxed, or greasy surface
2.
tending to slip away, as from a grasp
3.
not reliable or trustworthy; deceitful
4.
subject to change
a slippery situation
5. Obsolete
immoral
Derived forms
slipperiness (ˈslipperiness)
noun
Word origin
altered < ME sliper, slippery < OE slipor, akin to MHG slupferic: for IE base see slip1
More idioms containing
slippery
slippery as an eel
on a slippery slope
Examples of 'slippery' in a sentence
slippery
The problem was that the floor was so slippery.
The Sun (2012)
This makes the term a rather slippery one and perhaps best avoided.
Lee Harvey Critical Social Research (1990)
This duality can make for a slippery character.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
They can be slippery when wet and are sometimes unstable.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
He slipped because the path was slippery.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
So the lines were extremely slippery and wet.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He insists on hobbling all the way along the slippery garden path to see me out.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Your daughter tried very hard to get back the money from her landlord but he proved to be an incredibly slippery character.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Plus they're rather slippery to sit on.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
There's bound to be a slippery character behind a move like that.
The Sun (2016)
This has to be done on a slippery floor - vinyl works well.
The Sun (2012)
He's a slippery character who can be charming when he wishes to be.
The Sun (2014)
We made it like eels, wet and slippery after a shower '.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
Well, it's because of those signs in shopping centres that tell us the floor is slippery when wet.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
slippery
British English: slippery /ˈslɪpərɪ; -prɪ/ ADJECTIVE
Something that is slippery is smooth, wet, or greasy, making it difficult to walk on or to hold.
Motorists were warned about slippery roads.
American English: slippery
Arabic: زَلِق
Brazilian Portuguese: escorregadio
Chinese: 滑的
Croatian: sklizak
Czech: kluzký
Danish: glat
Dutch: glibberig
European Spanish: resbaladizo
Finnish: liukas
French: glissant
German: rutschig
Greek: γλιστερός
Italian: scivoloso
Japanese: 滑りやすい
Korean: 미끄러운
Norwegian: glatt
Polish: śliski
European Portuguese: escorregadio
Romanian: alunecos
Russian: скользкий
Latin American Spanish: resbaladizo
Swedish: hal
Thai: ลื่น
Turkish: kaygan
Ukrainian: слизький
Vietnamese: trơn
All related terms of 'slippery'
slippery dip
a long slide at a playground or funfair
slippery elm
a tree, Ulmus fulva, of E North America , having oblong serrated leaves, notched winged fruits , and a mucilaginous inner bark
slippery slope
If someone is on a slippery slope , they are involved in a course of action that is difficult to stop and that will eventually lead to failure or trouble .
slippery as an eel
used to describe someone whom it is very difficult to catch, or from whom it is very difficult to get the information that you want
on a slippery slope
involved in a course of action that cannot be stopped and that will lead to failure or serious trouble
red elm
a tree, Ulmus fulva, of E North America , having oblong serrated leaves, notched winged fruits, and a mucilaginous inner bark
Chinese translation of 'slippery'
slippery
(ˈslɪpərɪ)
adj
[surface]滑的 (huá de)
[person]狡猾的 (jiǎohuá de)
to be on a slippery slope to ruin/anarchy将(將)导(導)致(緻)毁(毀)灭(滅)/混乱(亂) (jiāng dǎozhì huǐmiè/hùnluàn)
1 (adjective)
Definition
liable or tending to cause objects to slip
The floor was wet and slippery.
Synonyms
smooth
The flagstones were worn smooth by centuries of use.
icy
an icy road
greasy
He propped his elbows upon the greasy counter.
glassy
glassy green pebbles
slippy (informal, dialect)
unsafe
lubricious (rare)
skiddy (informal)
2 (adjective)
Definition
not to be trusted
a slippery customer
Synonyms
untrustworthy
His opponents still say he's a fundamentally untrustworthy figure.
tricky
They could encounter some tricky political manoeuvring.
cunning
He's a cunning, devious, good-for-nothing so-and-so.
false
She was a false friend, envious of her lifestyle and her success.
treacherous
The President spoke of the treacherous intentions of the enemy.
dishonest
He had become rich by dishonest means.
devious
She tracked down the other woman by devious means.
crafty
That crafty old devil had taken us all for a ride.
evasive
He was evasive about the circumstances of their first meeting.
sneaky
One kid can generally tell when another kid is sneaky.
two-faced
He had been devious and two-faced.
shifty (informal)
He had a shifty face and previous convictions.
foxy
He had wary, foxy eyes.
duplicitous
Additional synonyms
in the sense of crafty
Definition
skilled in deception
That crafty old devil had taken us all for a ride.
Synonyms
cunning,
scheming,
sly,
devious,
knowing,
designing,
sharp,
calculating,
subtle,
tricky,
shrewd,
astute,
fraudulent,
canny,
wily,
insidious,
artful,
foxy,
deceitful,
duplicitous,
tricksy,
guileful
in the sense of cunning
Definition
clever at deceiving
He's a cunning, devious, good-for-nothing so-and-so.
Synonyms
crafty,
knowing,
sly,
devious,
artful,
sharp,
subtle,
tricky,
shrewd,
astute,
canny,
wily,
Machiavellian,
shifty (informal),
foxy,
guileful
in the sense of devious
Definition
insincere and dishonest
She tracked down the other woman by devious means.
Synonyms
sly,
scheming,
calculating,
tricky,
crooked (informal),
indirect,
treacherous,
dishonest,
wily,
insidious,
evasive,
deceitful,
underhand,
insincere,
surreptitious,
double-dealing,
not straightforward
Synonyms of 'slippery'
slippery
Explore 'slippery' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of dishonest
Definition
not honest or fair
He had become rich by dishonest means.
Synonyms
deceitful,
corrupt,
crooked (informal),
designing,
lying,
bent (slang),
false,
unfair,
cheating,
deceiving,
shady (informal),
fraudulent,
treacherous,
deceptive,
unscrupulous,
crafty,
swindling,
disreputable,
untrustworthy,
double-dealing,
unprincipled,
mendacious,
perfidious (literary),
untruthful,
guileful,
knavish (archaic)
in the sense of evasive
Definition
seeking to evade
He was evasive about the circumstances of their first meeting.
Synonyms
deceptive,
misleading,
indirect,
cunning,
slippery,
tricky,
shuffling,
devious,
oblique,
shifty (informal),
cagey (informal),
deceitful,
dissembling,
prevaricating,
equivocating,
sophistical,
casuistic,
casuistical,
elusive
in the sense of false
She was a false friend, envious of her lifestyle and her success.
Synonyms
treacherous,
lying,
deceiving,
unreliable,
two-timing (informal),
dishonest,
deceptive,
hypocritical,
unfaithful,
two-faced,
disloyal,
unsound,
deceitful,
faithless,
untrustworthy,
insincere,
double-dealing,
dishonourable,
duplicitous,
mendacious,
perfidious (literary),
treasonable,
traitorous,
inconstant,
delusive,
false-hearted
in the sense of foxy
Definition
of or resembling a fox, esp. in craftiness
He had wary, foxy eyes.
Synonyms
crafty,
knowing,
sharp,
tricky,
shrewd,
cunning,
sly,
astute,
canny,
devious,
wily,
artful,
guileful
in the sense of glassy
Definition
smooth, clear, and shiny, like glass
glassy green pebbles
Synonyms
smooth,
clear,
slick,
shiny,
glossy,
transparent,
slippery
in the sense of greasy
Definition
covered with or containing grease
He propped his elbows upon the greasy counter.
Synonyms
fatty,
slick,
slippery,
oily,
slimy (British),
oleaginous
in the sense of icy
Definition
covered with ice
an icy road
Synonyms
slippery,
glassy,
slippy (informal, dialect),
like a sheet of glass,
rimy
in the sense of shifty
Definition
looking deceitful and not to be trusted
He had a shifty face and previous convictions.
Synonyms
untrustworthy,
sly,
devious,
scheming,
tricky,
slippery,
contriving,
wily,
crafty,
evasive,
furtive,
deceitful,
underhand,
unprincipled,
duplicitous,
fly-by-night (informal)
in the sense of sneaky
One kid can generally tell when another kid is sneaky.
Synonyms
sly,
dishonest,
devious,
mean,
low,
base,
nasty,
cowardly,
slippery,
unreliable,
malicious,
unscrupulous,
furtive,
disingenuous,
shifty (informal),
snide,
deceitful,
contemptible,
untrustworthy,
double-dealing
in the sense of treacherous
Definition
disloyal and untrustworthy
The President spoke of the treacherous intentions of the enemy.
Synonyms
disloyal,
deceitful,
untrustworthy,
duplicitous,
false,
untrue,
unreliable,
unfaithful,
faithless,
double-crossing (informal),
double-dealing,
perfidious (literary),
traitorous,
treasonable,
recreant (archaic)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of tricky
Definition
sly or wily
They could encounter some tricky political manoeuvring.