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

Rubio weaves stories about heartbreak, drugs, and the slippery, occasionally hallucinatory process of finding your way back to your own life. — Sophie Miller, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026

But the terrain is treacherous with muddy roads and slippery rocks. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

The rocks are coated with slippery algae, and several hikers have fallen and been seriously injured or killed. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Closer still to the falls, the mist is heavy enough to drench the sightseers stopping to gawk at the spectacle from viewing points, or on slippery pathways between the various lookouts. — Charukesi Ramadurai, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

slipper entry 2 + -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