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 of slippery

• shady

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

The combination of the car weighing less than 1,750 pounds, its slippery shape, and its high-strung engine, allows the 202 to nudge 105 mph. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 13 Feb. 2026

Grime and oil on the road surface mix with water to make the road slippery. —Southern California Weather Report, Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026

Our skills in mobility give Atlas the capability margin required to handle the unexpected – unexpected obstacles, slippery surfaces, moving objects, things that are a fact of life in the real world. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026

Non-clumping kitty litter is best used for immediate traction on slippery surfaces. —Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026

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