oily B1 Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈɔɪli/ See IPA manual Freq #19018 Meanings 1 adj Covered with or containing oil. After fixing the car, his hands were covered in oily grime. 2 adj Looking or feeling like oil. The calm sea had a smooth, oily surface. 3 adj Too friendly or polite in a way that seems false. The salesman's oily smile made me uneasy. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · covered with or containing... greasy 2 adj · looking or feeling like oil. oillike 3 adj · too friendly or polite in a... smarmyunctuousslick Word family Forms oilieroiliest Derived forms nonoilyoililyoilinessoily-wadoilyishunoily Related forms oilfishoilseedolive-oily Etymology AI details From Middle English oylei, equivalent to oil + -y. Compare German ölig (“oily”), Swedish oljig (“oily”). oylei Middle English View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # oily **Type:** Word **Level:** B1 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈɔɪli/ **Frequency rank:** 19018 ## Meanings 1. Covered with or containing oil. 2. Looking or feeling like oil. 3. Too friendly or polite in a way that seems false. ## Examples - After fixing the car, his hands were covered in oily grime. - The calm sea had a smooth, oily surface. - The salesman's oily smile made me uneasy. ## Derived Forms - nonoily - oilily - oiliness - oily-wad - oilyish - unoily ## Related Forms - oilfish - oilseed - olive-oily ## Roots and Affixes - Root: oylei ## Etymology From Middle English oylei, equivalent to oil + -y. Compare German ölig (“oily”), Swedish oljig (“oily”). ## AI Etymology Oily comes from Middle English oylei, equivalent to oil + -y. Compare German ölig (“oily”), Swedish oljig (“oily”). Modern senses include covered with or containing oil and looking or feeling like oil. The wider word family includes derivatives such as nonoily, oilily, oiliness, oily-wad, oilyish, and unoily and related forms such as oilfish, oilseed, and olive-oily. ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown