oily

adjective

\ ˈȯi-lē

oilier; oiliest

Definition of oily

1 : of, relating to, or consisting of oil

2a : 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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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 on the Web

Cannabis plants were cultivated in East Asia for their oily seeds and fiber from at least 4000 BC. — Katie Hunt, CNN, "2,500-year-old tomb offers earliest evidence of humans using cannabis to get high," 12 June 2019 The probation violations stem from a 2016 conviction for dumping oily waste into the ocean -- and covering it up -- for eight years. — Taylor Dolven, Caitlin Ostroff, Anchorage Daily News, "Carnival Corp. pleads guilty to pollution probation violations, agrees to $20 million fine," 4 June 2019 The company was on probation from a 2016 conviction for discharging oily wastes from its Princess Cruise Lines ships. — Curt Anderson, orlandosentinel.com, "Carnival cruise line to pay $20 million fine in ocean dumping case," 3 June 2019 Combination Skin An oily T-zone (dry on cheeks; oily on forehead, nose and chin) is probably due to hormones or genetics. — Melissa Matthews, Woman's Day, "The Foolproof Anti-Aging Skin Routine," 24 Aug. 2015 This hair type tends to get oily and greasy pretty quickly, as the oils at your root gravitate down the hair shaft. — Yerin Kim, Seventeen, "This Is How Often You Should Really Be Washing Your Hair," 12 Apr. 2019 The recent scandal about the rich—and in a few instances the famous—getting their children into colleges through payoffs made to an oily middleman has aroused the nation’s ire. — Joseph Epstein, WSJ, "The College Admissions Game Brings Out the Snob in Everyone," 19 Mar. 2019 Humidity is not friendly to oily skin, but Tatcha’s cream has somehow mastered a formula that hydrates and moisturizes without an increase in oil. — Asia Milia Ware, Teen Vogue, "The Moisturizer Kim Kardashian’s Makeup Artist Swears By Lives Up To The Hype," 19 Apr. 2019 Even a quick blast of compressed air to dry off a fastener will leave an oily film behind, affecting ultimate torque. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "How to Use a Torque Wrench to Keep Your Car from Flying Apart," 26 Feb. 2019

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.