as in to grease
to coat (something) with a slippery substance in order to reduce friction
slicking the bottom of their skis with wax
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in slicked
having or being a surface so smooth as to greatly reduce traction
roads are often slick during the first hour of a rainstorm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cunning
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
a slick ad campaign that made smoking look cool and sexy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in excellent
of the very best kind
that's a slick new suit you have on
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pictorial
Related Words
2
as in slicker
Related Words
3
as in chopper
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of slick
Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
But two decades on, the grim reaper still walks the rows: 110 degrees, no tree, no tarp, a single water jug growing warm, its handle slick from dust and hands.
—Dean Florez, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025
With his brow perennially furrowed and hair slicked with sweat, Riley has the exact look and bearing of a suavely addled wrong-man figure from British thrillers of yore — and thus makes a suitably bemused proxy for the viewers in this wasteland of mounting chaos and absurdity.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Aug. 2025
Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2025
The initial half-hour of rain is when roads are slickest due to a mixture of rain, grime, and oil.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slick
Verb
Meanwhile, a steep descent leads to Tappiya Falls—thundering into a jade basin as mist clings to lichen-slick boulders.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
But two decades on, the grim reaper still walks the rows: 110 degrees, no tree, no tarp, a single water jug growing warm, its handle slick from dust and hands.
—Dean Florez, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
My instructor for the hour was a thin woman with blonde hair, slicked into a top bun.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025
With his brow perennially furrowed and hair slicked with sweat, Riley has the exact look and bearing of a suavely addled wrong-man figure from British thrillers of yore — and thus makes a suitably bemused proxy for the viewers in this wasteland of mounting chaos and absurdity.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Aug. 2025
Noun
Citarella was known for slick, strange digitally altered still-lifes and hyperrealistic sci-fi tableaux.
—Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2025
The initial half-hour of rain is when roads are slickest due to a mixture of rain, grime, and oil.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slick
Verb
-
Repeat with remaining dough portions, greasing skillet with remaining 1 Tbsp.—
Erin Hooker,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Place all the ingredients in blender (except nonstick spray or oil for greasing pan).—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Watts wore a navy blue sparkly dress paired with black mules and a slicked back hairstyle.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Maigret must outwit some of Paris’s most cunning and violent criminals, while dealing with his own troubled past.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Oct. 2025
-
These subsidies were cunning, part of a decades-long effort to keep alive the myths that offshore wind energy is nearly self-sufficient and generates increasingly inexpensive electricity.—
Craig Rucker,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Bader was excellent early Saturday, notching a sacrifice fly to drive in Realmuto and hustling to right-center for a diving catch in the fifth.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Both are excellent places for birding, boating, fishing, hiking, and finding a little peace and quiet.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Gibson, then 34, saw the pictorial in a classy, peekaboo way and even had a clothing budget.—
Mark Gray,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
-
By 2010, the magazine was essentially family entertainment compared to the tidal wave of online smut, so a peek-a-boo pictorial of half-naked cybergals didn't seem so risqué.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
During the Waleses' trip to Canada in October 1991, Diana made time between touring an AIDS hospice and a women's shelter to join William, 9, and Harry, 7, on a visit to Niagara Falls, where the trio donned rain slickers for a wet and wild voyage on the Maid of the Mist.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
31 Aug. 2025
-
The European far right is skillfully seizing the moment, promising an agricultural overhaul and a chance to stick it to the city slickers.—
Emily Rauhala,
Washington Post,
11 Apr. 2024
Noun
-
Skubal issued a walk to Jose Ramirez, and after getting the next two batters to strikeout, Gabriel Arias’s high chopper for an infield hit saw Martinez dare Skubal by sprinting from second base to home.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Moments later, the couple disembarked from the chopper, walking hand-in-hand across the South Lawn.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Once your table is ready, heat up your grill on the burner—use a small piece of fat to oil the grill, or a paper towel lightly soaked in vegetable or sesame oil.—
Irene Yoo
September 26,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Lightly oil the fronts and backs of your hands.—
Erin Hooker,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slick. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share