Link Centre Dictionary

oily

UK/ˈɔɪli/ US/ˈɔɪli/ uncommon informal

adjective

1.

containing an unusual amount of grease or oil

  • “greasy hamburgers”
  • “oily fried potatoes”
  • “oleaginous seeds”
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2.

unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech

  • “buttery praise”
  • “gave him a fulsome introduction”
  • “an oily sycophantic press agent”
  • “oleaginous hypocrisy”
  • “smarmy self-importance”
  • “the unctuous Uriah Heep”
  • “soapy compliments”
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3.

coated or covered with oil

  • “oily puddles in the streets”
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4.

smeared or soiled with grease or oil

  • “greasy coveralls”
  • “get rid of rubbish and oily rags”
Synonyms
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Origin

From Middle English oylei, equivalent to oil + -y. Compare German ölig (“oily”), Swedish oljig (“oily”).

Phrases

  • oily bitterling
  • oily rag
  • oily rice
  • smell of an oily rag

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.