oily

adjective \ ˈȯi-lē \

|Updated on: 15 Jul 2018

Examples: oily in a Sentence

Definition of oily

oilier; oiliest

1 : of, relating to, or consisting of oil

2 a : covered or impregnated with oil

oily rags

b : relatively high in naturally secreted oils

oily skin

oily hair

3 : excessively smooth or suave in manner

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oilily

play \ˈȯi-lə-lē\ adverb

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oiliness

play \ˈȯi-lē-nəs\ noun

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See oily defined for kids

Examples of oily in a Sentence

The liquid has an oily feel.
a pile of oily rags
The salad dressing was very oily.

Recent Examples of oily from the Web

By one estimate, vessels intentionally discharge some 276,000 tonnes of oily gunk into the sea each year, nearly half as much as the Deepwater Horizon disaster spewed into the Gulf of Mexico.

— The Economist, "Avast, me hearties," 5 July 2018
The two cooking methods brought out the oily silkiness of the escolar, which made the roll even more rich when coupled with fried garlic, avocado slivers and mushroom cream.

— lauren delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Urban Hibachi Sushi & Grill plates up elegant Japanese fare," 30 June 2018
And that’s a much more potent thing to fear than some oily monsters.

— steven strom, Ars Technica, "Prey: Mooncrash’s dystopic nightmare hits a little too close to home," 28 June 2018
Mushrooms with garlic begins with ordinary white mushrooms, which are then transformed by olive oil (this dish is a little oily, but the serving portion is small) and a lot of garlic.

— daniel neman, sacbee, "Spanish food? Sí, por favor!," 29 May 2018
Her favorites are Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash, $5.99, for oily or acne-prone skin; Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser, $5.99, for combination skin; and Clarins Cleansing Milk, $29.50, for dry skin.

— theresa o'rourke, Redbook, "The Anti-Aging Plan for Your Exact Skin Tone," 15 Sep. 2011
Coconut and olive oils paired with shea clean and nourish without making your skin feel oily.

— blanca myers, WIRED, "From Mats to Hoodies, 9 Ways to Elevate Your Yoga Practice," 24 June 2018
Its oily disintegration runs unchecked, yielding a glut of fishy fat fragments too pungent for a delicate poke.

— ali bouzari, SFChronicle.com, "Housemade: The magic of Liholiho Yacht Club," 22 June 2018
Doctors generally advise adults to eat at least two servings a week of oily fish like salmon, mackerel, herring and tuna that are rich in omega-3s, which are linked to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

— lisa rapaport, Anchorage Daily News, "Regular consumption of seafood tied to more sex and faster conception," 21 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oily.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.