slippery

CEFRB1

/ˈslɪpəɹi/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Hard to hold or stand on because it is smooth or wet.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Evasive; difficult to pin down.

Examples

  • The politician is as slippery as an eel!

  • Watch your step. The floor is slippery.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Liable to slip; not standing firm.

  2. Of a surface, having low friction, often due to being covered in a non-viscous liquid, and therefore hard to grip, hard to stand on without falling, etc.

  3. Unstable; changeable; inconstant.

More examples

In context

  • Oily substances render things slippery.

  • a slippery person

  • a slippery promise

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Because the janitor had just mopped it, the hallway floor was very blank and dangerous to walk on.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English slipperie, an extended form ( + -y) of Middle English slipper, sliper (“slippery”), from Old English slipor (“slippery”), from Proto-Germanic *slipraz (“smooth, slippery”), equivalent to slip + -er. Compare also Middle English slibbri, slubbri (“slippery”) borrowed from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German slibberich (“slippery”). Cognate with German schlüpfrig (“slippery”), Danish slibrig (“slippery”), Swedish slipprig (“slippery”).