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slippery

adj.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈsɫɪpɝi// UK //slˈɪpəɹi// slip·pery Archaic

adj. smooth, wet, or oily in a way that makes it hard to walk on or hold. You have to be careful because you might fall or drop something.

adj. having a surface that is smooth, wet, or polished, resulting in low friction and making it difficult to maintain grip or footing.


SIMPLE

Be careful because the floor is slippery.

CONTEXTUAL

The mountain path became dangerously slippery after the heavy rain, forcing the hikers to slow down.

COMPLEX

While the physical road was slippery due to the ice, the politician's slippery answers during the interview proved even more difficult for the journalists to navigate.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English slipperie, an extended form ( + -y) of Middle English slipper, sliper (“slippery”), from Old English slipor (“slippery”), from Proto-Germanic *slipraz (“smooth, slippery”), equivalent to slip + -er. Compare also Middle English slibbri, slubbri (“slippery”) borrowed from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German slibberich (“slippery”). Cognate with German schlüpfrig (“slippery”), Danish slibrig (“slippery”), Swedish slipprig (“slippery”).

Usage

Often used figuratively to describe people who are untrustworthy or ideas that are difficult to define.

Pitfall

The floor is slippyThe floor is slippery'Slippy' is a common informal or dialectal variation, but 'slippery' is the standard form required in formal and academic English.

Idioms1 entry

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