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

• 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

That appears to be true on both loose dirt, slippery rocks, and even bare metal. —Wes Siler, Outside, 5 Aug. 2025

In its announcement, the fire agency urged visitors to stay on marked trails, avoid climbing on or around waterfalls, and keep a safe distance from slippery or steep areas. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 5 Aug. 2025

The sturdy outsoles, with strong traction, kept us afoot on uneven and slippery terrain. —Rebecca Shinners, Travel + Leisure, 5 Aug. 2025

The cast here is enormous and includes returnees from 1996 including Ben Stiller as the slippery Hal, who now runs the AA (or Alkies) group Happy has joined to get off the bottle. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 July 2025

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