slippery

adjective

slip·​pery ˈsli-p(ə-)rē 

slipperier; slipperiest

1

a

: causing or tending to cause something to slide or fall

slippery roads

b

: tending to slip from the grasp

a slippery fish

2

a

: not firmly fixed : unstable

b

: not precise or fixed in meaning : ambiguous, elusive

3

: not to be trusted : tricky

slipperiness noun

Synonyms

• furtive
• shady
• shifty
• sly
• sneaking
• sneaky
• stealthy

Examples of slippery in a Sentence

The trails were muddy and slippery.

Fish are slippery to hold.

The sign cautions: “Slippery when wet.”

Recent Examples on the Web

An additional 2-4 inches of snow, along with gusts of up to 35 mph, are expected to make for slippery road conditions. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024

But be sure to bundle up and watch your step before heading out, as Michigan winter promises chilly, slippery conditions. —Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 10 Dec. 2024

Flurries continued as the home team buried the San Francisco 49ers under slippery conditions. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 2 Dec. 2024

There are traces of the famed DMV flow throughout the project, but Cousteau uses his voice to emphasize certain words and provide a distinctly slippery take on the sound. —Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

slipper entry 1 + -y entry 1

Note: As the earliest occurrence of slippery appears to be in the Coverdale Bible (1535, Psalm 35:6), it has been suggested that the addition of the suffix -y to the adjective slipper copies German schlipfferig in Luther's translation of the same passage (1534, present-day German schlüpfrig). The German word is ultimately from the same Germanic base as slip entry 5 (see Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology).

First Known Use

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing slippery

• slippery elm
• slippery slope

Kids Definition

slippery

adjective

slip·​pery ˈslip-(ə-)rē 

slipperier; slipperiest

1

: having a surface smooth enough to cause one to slide or lose one's hold

2

: not worthy of trust : tricky, crafty

slipperiness noun