slippery

UK: /ˈslɪpəri/ US: /ˈslɪpəri, ˈslɪpri/ ,(slip′ə rē, slip′rē)

Inflections of 'slippery' (adj):

slipperier

adj comparative

slipperiest

adj superlative

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

slip•per•y /ˈslɪpəri, ˈslɪpri/   adj., -i•er, -i•est. 

1. easily causing slipping:
   a slippery road.
2. tending to slip from the hold or grasp or from position:
   a slippery rope.
3. likely to slip away or escape:
   a slippery scoundrel.
4. unstable or insecure, such as conditions:
   a slippery situation.

slip•per•i•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

slip•per•y  (slip′ə rē, slip′rē), adj., -per•i•er, -per•i•est. 

1. tending or liable to cause slipping or sliding, as ice, oil, a wet surface, etc.:
   a slippery road.
2. tending to slip from the hold or grasp or from position:
   a slippery rope.
3. likely to slip away or escape:
   slippery prospects.
4. not to be depended on;
   fickle;
   shifty, tricky, or deceitful.
5. unstable or insecure, as conditions:
   a slippery situation.

• 1525–35; alteration of slipper²; compare Low German slipperig; see -y¹

slip′per•i•ness, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

slippery / ˈslɪpərɪ -prɪ/ adjective

1. causing or tending to cause objects to slip: a slippery road
2. liable to slip from the grasp, a position, etc
3. not to be relied upon; cunning and untrustworthy: a slippery character
4. (esp of a situation) liable to change; unstable

Etymology: 16th Century: probably coined by Coverdale to translate German schlipfferig in Luther's Bible (Psalm 35:6); related to Old English slipor slippery

ˈslipperiness noun