slippery

slip·pery

adjective \ˈsli-p(ə-)rē\

: difficult to stand on, move on, or hold because of being smooth, wet, icy, etc.

: not easy to understand or identify in an exact way

: not able to be trusted

slip·per·i·erslip·per·i·est

Full Definition of SLIPPERY

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

— slip·per·i·ness noun

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Examples of SLIPPERY

1. The trails were muddy and slippery.
2. Fish are slippery to hold.
3. The sign cautions: “Slippery when wet.”

Origin of SLIPPERY

alteration of Middle English slipper

First Known Use: circa 1500

Related to SLIPPERY

Synonyms

furtive, shady, shifty, sneaky, sly, sneaking, stealthy

Related Words

artful, crafty, cunning, devious, foxy, guileful, slick, wily; close, closemouthed, reticent, secretive; clandestine, covert, dark; deceitful, deceiving, deceptive, devious, duplicitous, trickish, tricky, underhand, underhanded; cheating, crooked, defrauding, dishonest, dissembling, double-dealing, knavish, two-faced; lying, mendacious, untrustworthy, untruthful; insidious, perfidious, serpentine, treacherous

Near Antonyms

aboveboard, forthright, plainspoken, straightforward; candid, direct, foursquare, frank, open, plain; honest, trustworthy, truthful