Greasy Meaning
/ˈɡɹi.si/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjHaving a slippery surface; having a surface covered with grease.
adjContaining a lot of grease or fat.
Sentence Examples
What is that greasy stuff on your shirt?
I have greasy skin.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The pizza was so ____ that it left oil on the napkin.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You should wash your hands after eating those ____ potato chips so you don't leave fingerprints on the screen.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English gresi, gressy, equivalent to grease + -y.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…] mechanic slaves
With greasy aprons, rules, and hammers, shall
Uplift us to the view […]"
— c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
"it was in the garage that Alec worked, […] doing mysterious greasy things. Grease blackened his hairy legs; grease had turned his white canvas shoes black; grease blackened his hands even beyond the wrist; grease made his short working trousers black and stiff. Yet he had the gift, which Mr Biswas admired, of being able to hold a cigarette between greasy fingers and greasy lips without staining it."
— 1961, V. S. Naipaul, A House for Mr Biswas, London: André Deutsch, Part One, Chapter 2, p. 54:
"With a skin full of alcohol and a probable overwhelming desire for a greasy kebab, I had evidently got myself into such a state that I was unable to locate the correct door to the fast food shop."
— 2010, Gavin Hoffen, Dandelion, page 3:
"Nigel and Richard Bertinet go for butter. Jamie and Nigella both opt for olive oil, and Garten uses a mixture, spreading the bread generously with butter, then topping it with garlic and herbs in olive oil. Oil, to my taste, simply makes the bread seem greasy: it's great for dipping, but it doesn't seem to soak into the bread in the same way as butter – I've probably just got hopelessly rich Anglo-Saxon tastes, but for me, it's butter all the way."
— 2012 May 3, Felicity Cloake, “How to cook perfect garlic bread”, in the Guardian:
"He does not impress me favourably. He is glib, ingratiating, and distinctly 'greasy.' He has a ready answer for everything almost before the question is out of your mouth."
— 1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The pizza was so ____ that it left oil on the napkin.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You should wash your hands after eating those ____ potato chips so you don't leave fingerprints on the screen.