slick

1 of 4

adjective

slicker; slickest
1
a
: having a smooth surface : slippery
slick wet leaves
b
: having surface plausibility or appeal : glossy
slick advertising
c
: based on stereotype : trite
slick stories soon forgotten
2
a
: characterized by subtlety or nimble wit : clever
especially : wily
a slick swindler
b
: deft, skillful
a slick ballplayer
3
: extremely good : first-rate
4
archaic : sleek sense 1
slickly adverb
slickness noun

slick

2 of 4

verb

slicked; slicking; slicks

transitive verb

: to make sleek or smooth

intransitive verb

: spruce
usually used with up

slick

3 of 4

noun

1
a
: something that is smooth or slippery
especially : a smooth patch of water covered with a film of oil
b
: a film of oil
2
: an automobile tire made without a tread for maximum traction (as in drag racing)
3
: an implement for producing a smooth or slick surface
4
: a shrewd untrustworthy person
5
: a popular magazine printed on coated stock and intended to appeal to sophisticated readers
6
slang : a military helicopter without armaments that is used to transport troops or light cargo

slick

4 of 4

adverb

dated, informal
: in a smooth or clever manner
"I must say they did it slick enough. They were old hands at the business."Jack London
Choose the Right Synonym for slick

sleek, slick, glossy mean having a smooth bright surface or appearance.

sleek suggests a smoothness or brightness resulting from attentive grooming or physical conditioning.

a sleek racehorse

slick suggests extreme smoothness that results in a slippery surface.

slipped and fell on the slick floor

glossy suggests a highly reflective surface.

photographs having a glossy finish

sly, cunning, crafty, wily, tricky, foxy, artful, slick mean attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means.

sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

Examples of slick in a Sentence

Adjective Be careful as you drive home—the roads are slick. big corporations and their slick lawyers The new kid had some slick moves on the basketball court. The students did a slick job of promoting the concert. The video game has slick graphics. Verb The rain slicked the roads. slicking the bottom of their skis with wax
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
During his appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show Friday (March 8), Offset recalled impressing the music icon with his slick moves when auditioning for a dancer role as an 8-year-old circa 2000. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024 For a while, slick shoes didn't quite get off the ground after his breakout roles in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and The Goonies. Sarah Weldon, EW.com, 5 Mar. 2024 Nominations also come with videos, which range from slick documentaries to extravaganzas of patriotic kitsch; in Turkmenistan’s showcase of Akhal-Teke horse breeding, stirring music plays as herds thunder across an open field and children in riding costume dance in formation. Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2024 Cut to finish an inch or so below her ears, Evangelista wore her surprisingly versatile style with a slightly slick finish. Hannah Coates, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2024 Executing well on the basics, rather than being tempted by a slick proposal that doesn’t end up delivering, is often a better use of time, resources and budget. Christine Pilkington, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The slick production values function to attract more members. Catherine Baab-Muguira, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024 The better to show off the dress, Meghan wore her hair up in a slick bun with a side part. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 20 Feb. 2024 Wide-Leg Pants + Cropped Jacket Edward Berthelot/Getty Images Rich colors and textures come together in this earth-tone look, which makes the most of slick suiting and soft leather. Jake Smith, Glamour, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
On March 3, Kardashian wore a lace turtleneck dress from the luxury fashion house's fall/winter 2024-2025 collection, complete with a sheer bust, dramatic sleeve flares, and an unexpected open back emphasized by her thick, slicked back ponytail. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 3 Mar. 2024 Other guests of note included Kate Moss, 50, whose trademark blonde locks were slicked back into a knot, and Eva Herzigová, also 50, who channelled the spirit of the ’80s with her disco ringlets. Hannah Coates, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2024 The former Miss Universe wore her hair slicked back and accessorized for the evening with a thin black belt and gold jewelry. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 The rest of her hair was slicked down, with the front portion subtly waved near her face. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 26 Feb. 2024 On hair, Eugene Souleiman slicked and wrapped the strands into a flower at the ear. India Espy-Jones, Essence, 21 Feb. 2024 Monsour leans in with the playful touches: a smashburger slicked with Duke’s mayo sweetened with maple syrup and cinnamon, avocado toast dressed with cucumber-mint salsa and whizzed with drizzles of benne tahini. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024 The Dune: Part Two star wore her hair slicked back with a retro wave and sported silver eyeshadow and a glossy lip. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 19 Feb. 2024 Wet-look lengths are here to stay and featured on the runways of Helmut Lang (where manes were slicked back at the crown), Prabal Gurung (damp and piecey strands splayed across foreheads), and Area (pulled into a pony at the nape of the neck). Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2024
Noun
The slick was spotted Thursday evening about a mile and a half offshore and is approximately two and a half miles long, the Coast Guard said in a news release. Cheri Mossburg, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 Senior Sofia Del Villar of Newport Harbor (16-9) tied the score 8-8 on a slick, redirect off a weak-side drive and cross pass by Verdugo with 28 seconds left. Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 28 Jan. 2024 The neat braid jam is the perfect jam to slick and blend the hair with the extensions for a flawless install. Akili King, Essence, 17 Jan. 2024 From the water, specifically the Cantabrian Sea, come meaty and sweet anchovies with a slick of olive oil to balance their salinity. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2024 Gustavo Rainer Lugo, 26, hiking up a hill slick with mud, described himself as an aspiring TikToker documenting his own trek to the United States. Julie Turkewitz, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2023 Left to flow, the unearthed springs turn dirt roads into unstable slicks of mud. WIRED, 23 Dec. 2023 The model, who debuted her seasonal sparkle over the weekend, did so in a predictably stylish way, accompanying her signature smattering of faux freckles and Jelly Bean fuchsia Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment with the prettiest slick of translucent shimmer across her lids. Georgia Day, Vogue, 4 Dec. 2023 Thanks to double discounts, this slick Avec Les Filles puffer jacket is a whopping 55 percent off. Nicola Fumo, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023
Adverb
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo Inside, the Silverado ZR2 has a slick-looking dashboard that features a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument panel next to a massive 13.4-inch touchscreen. Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 12 Apr. 2023 That’s right, as if the movie weren’t weird enough already, come to find that Quinto’s character has an inoperable brain tumor — which goes a long way toward lowering his inhibitions and explains all three of the borderline-inept montages in this otherwise slick-looking movie. Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 Mar. 2023 Infotainment and Connectivity Every M4 is outfitted with a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a slick-looking infotainment system that features a large 14.9-inch touchscreen. Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 9 Mar. 2023 The slick-fielding Marsh, 24, showed promise at the plate in his final 46 games of 2021, hitting .297 with a .761 OPS, two homers and 17 RBIs. Mike Digiovannastaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2022 The Mets can’t match that kind of offense – and don’t have the same solid defense that makes the slick-fielding Atlanta infield so vital to its pitching staff. Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2021 Momentum has been building for Rolen, a slick-fielding third baseman who slugged 316 home runs. Benjamin Hoffman, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2023 With colorful lingo and slick-talking raps, E-40 and Too Short have steered the sound of the Bay Area since first emerging in the 1980s. Kenan Draughornestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2022 And a slick-fielding shortstop (Brody Moore) who earned regional MVP honors after hitting .533 with six RBIs, six runs and a homer. Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 9 June 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slick.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English slyke; akin to Old English *slician

Verb

Middle English sliken, from Old English *slician; akin to Old High German slīhhan to glide

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

1849, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

1825, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of slick was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near slick

Cite this Entry

“Slick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slick. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

slick

1 of 3 verb
: to make sleek or smooth

slick

2 of 3 adjective
1
a
: having a smooth surface : slippery
a slick road
b
: having or showing skill and style but no depth
slick writing
2
a
b
: quick and neat in action : skillful
slickly adverb
slickness noun

slick

3 of 3 noun
: something that is smooth or slippery
especially : a smooth patch of water covered with a film of oil

More from Merriam-Webster on slick

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