slick C2+ Topic:Describing People US /slɪk/ UK /slɪk/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj smooth and slippery; also clever or glib The road was slick with rain and dangerous to drive. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · smooth and slippery; also... smoothslipperyglossyglibcleverpolishedsleek ↔ Opposites roughclumsyawkward Word family Derived forms slicklyslicknessslicker Related forms sleek Etymology AI details From Middle English sliken ('to make smooth'), from Old English -slician, of Germanic origin; cognate with sleek. slician Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Describing People External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # slick **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /slɪk/ **IPA (UK):** /slɪk/ ## Meanings 1. smooth and slippery; also clever or glib ## Examples - The road was slick with rain and dangerous to drive. ## Synonyms - smooth - slippery - glossy - glib - clever - polished - sleek ## Antonyms - rough - clumsy - awkward ## Derived Forms - slickly - slickness - slicker ## Related Forms - sleek ## Roots and Affixes - Root: slician ## Etymology From Middle English sliken ('to make smooth'), from Old English -slician, of Germanic origin; cognate with sleek. ## AI Etymology Slick comes from Middle English sliken ('to make smooth'), from Old English -slician, of Germanic origin; cognate with sleek. The historical chain includes Old English slician. Older glosses in the chain include "to make smooth", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, slick is best read as borrowing, yielding an English adjective and noun shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a adjective and noun, with the sense "smooth and slippery; also clever or glib". English derivatives include slickly, slickness, and slicker; related forms include sleek. The result is an English adjective and noun whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning. ## Topics - Describing People markdown