Oily

/ˈɔɪli/ · adjective

Meaning

Covered with or containing oil..

Definitions by Sense

1. Covered with or containing oil.
2. Resembling oil.
3. (figuratively) Excessively friendly or polite but insincere.
4. A marble with an oily lustre.
5. (in the plural, informal) Oilskins. (waterproof garment)

Example Sentences

oily machinery;   oily rags;   oily fish;   oily cooking

His clothes were apt to look oily and smell of eating-houses.

[…] overdressed young men of enigmatic appearance, with oily thick hair, shifty eyes, and hands covered with cheap rings, swaggered about smoking cigarettes and talking in loud, ostentatious voices.

Dyes listed with the word “lake” indicate the dye is a fat-soluble version, meaning it can dissolve in oily foods or drinks.

oily swells;   oily seas

There were no breakers and no waves, for not a breath of wind was stirring. Only a slight oily swell rose and fell like a gentle breathing, and showed that the eternal sea was still moving and living.

Near-synonyms: slick, buttery; smarmy

[…] for I want that glib and oyly Art, To ſpeake and purpoſe not, ſince what I well entend Ile do’t before I ſpeake, […]

Synonyms for oily

Antonyms for oily

Related Words

Word Forms

• oilier
• oiliest
• oyly
• oilies

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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