slick

UK: /ˈslɪk/ US: /slɪk/ ,(slik)

Inflections of 'slick' (adj):

slicker

adj comparative

slickest

adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

slick¹ /slɪk/   adj., -er, -est, n., adv. 
adj. 

1. smooth and glossy:
   his slick black hair.
2. smooth in manners, speech, etc., so as to be or seem to be sly or untrustworthy.
3. ingenious;
   cleverly made.
4. slippery, esp. from being covered with or as if with ice or oil:
   The car skidded on the slick surface.
5. well executed and having surface appeal but shallow in content:
   slick writing.
6. Slang Terms wonderful;
   remarkable;
   first-rate.

n. [countable]

7. a smooth or slippery place or the substance causing it:
   an oil slick.

adv. 

8. smoothly;
   cleverly.

slick•ly, adv. 
slick•ness, n. 

[uncountable] Was his mayoral campaign all slickness and no content?

slick² /slɪk/   v. [~ + object]

1. to make sleek or smooth:
   His hair was slicked down with hair cream.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

slick¹  (slik), adj., -er, -est, n., adv. 
adj. 

1. smooth and glossy;
   sleek.
2. smooth in manners, speech, etc.;
   suave.
3. sly;
   shrewdly adroit:
   He's a slick customer, all right.
4. ingenious;
   cleverly devised:
   a slick plan to get out of work.
5. slippery, esp. from being covered with or as if with ice, water, or oil.
6. deftly executed and having surface appeal or sophistication, but shallow or glib in content;
   polished but superficial;
   glib:
   a writer who has mastered every formula of slick fiction.
7. Slang Terms wonderful;
   remarkable;
   first-rate.

n. 

8. a smooth or slippery place or spot or the substance causing it:
   oil slick.
9. Informal Terms, Literature
   • a magazine printed on paper having a more or less glossy finish.
   • such a magazine regarded as possessing qualities, as expensiveness, chic, and sophistication, that hold appeal for a particular readership, as one whose members enjoy or are seeking affluence.
   • such a magazine regarded as having a sophisticated, deftly executed, but shallow or glib literary content. Cf. pulp (def. 6).
10. Building any of various paddlelike tools for smoothing a surface.
11. Automotive a wide tire without a tread, used in racing.
12. Military a helicopter.

adv. 

13. smoothly;
    cleverly.

• 1300–50; Middle English slike (adjective, adjectival); cognate with dialect, dialectal Dutch sleek even, smooth; akin to slick²

slick′ly, adv. 
slick′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 3. wily, tricky, foxy, sharp.

slick²  (slik), v.t. 

1. to make sleek or smooth.
2. Clothing to use a slicker on (skins or hides).
3. Informal Terms to make smart or fine;
   spruce up (usually fol. by up).

n. 

4. Metallurgy a small trowel used for smoothing the surface of the mold.
5. Building any woodworking chisel having a blade more than 2 in. (5 cm) wide.

• bef. 900; Middle English slicken (verb, verbal), Old English slician; akin to Old Norse slīkja to give a gloss to

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

slick / slɪk/ adjective

1. flattering and glib: a slick salesman
2. adroitly devised or executed: a slick show
3. shrewd; sly
4. superficially attractive: a slick publication
5. smooth and glossy; slippery

noun

1. a slippery area, esp a patch of oil floating on water

verb (transitive)

1. to make smooth or sleek
2. (often followed by up) to make smooth or glossy

Etymology: 14th Century: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Icelandic, Norwegian slikja to be or make smooth

ˈslickly adverb

ˈslickness noun