slick

1 of 4

adjective

slicker; slickest
1
a
: having a smooth surface : slippery
slick wet leaves
b
: having surface plausibility or appeal : glossy
slick advertising
c
: based on stereotype : trite
slick stories soon forgotten
2
a
: characterized by subtlety or nimble wit : clever
especially : wily
a slick swindler
b
: deft, skillful
a slick ballplayer
3
: extremely good : first-rate
4
archaic : sleek sense 1
slickly adverb
slickness noun

slick

2 of 4

verb

slicked; slicking; slicks

transitive verb

: to make sleek or smooth

intransitive verb

: spruce
usually used with up

slick

3 of 4

noun

1
a
: something that is smooth or slippery
especially : a smooth patch of water covered with a film of oil
b
: a film of oil
2
: an automobile tire made without a tread for maximum traction (as in drag racing)
3
: an implement for producing a smooth or slick surface
4
: a shrewd untrustworthy person
5
: a popular magazine printed on coated stock and intended to appeal to sophisticated readers
6
slang : a military helicopter without armaments that is used to transport troops or light cargo

slick

4 of 4

adverb

dated, informal
: in a smooth or clever manner
"I must say they did it slick enough. They were old hands at the business."Jack London
Choose the Right Synonym for slick

sleek, slick, glossy mean having a smooth bright surface or appearance.

sleek suggests a smoothness or brightness resulting from attentive grooming or physical conditioning.

a sleek racehorse

slick suggests extreme smoothness that results in a slippery surface.

slipped and fell on the slick floor

glossy suggests a highly reflective surface.

photographs having a glossy finish

sly, cunning, crafty, wily, tricky, foxy, artful, slick mean attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means.

sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

Examples of slick in a Sentence

Adjective Be careful as you drive home—the roads are slick. big corporations and their slick lawyers The new kid had some slick moves on the basketball court. The students did a slick job of promoting the concert. The video game has slick graphics. Verb The rain slicked the roads. slicking the bottom of their skis with wax
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Ultimately, his victims would begin to figure out what was going on, and the slick façade would fracture. Suzanne Seggerman, Curbed, 14 Nov. 2024 Think of Lightroom without the slick workflow features. PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
Verb
In a nighttime video, a group of men is seen blocking traffic on a highway and slicking the roadway to prepare for the race. Antonio Planas, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024 Known for simple glam looks, Grainge wore her hair partied down the middle and slicked back with largely nude makeup. Mikelle Street, WWD, 2 Nov. 2024
Noun
Otherwise, this slick if uninspired first feature for actors turned writer-directors Marisa Guterman and Keith Gerchak offers a pleasant-enough ensemble seriocomedy that straddles the terrains of Richard Curtis and Christopher Guest, without approaching either’s high points. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 23 Oct. 2024 The massive slick of oil engulfed and killed hundreds of marine animals, including, seals, dolphins and pelicans. Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
Adverb
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo Inside, the Silverado ZR2 has a slick-looking dashboard that features a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument panel next to a massive 13.4-inch touchscreen. Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 12 Apr. 2023 That’s right, as if the movie weren’t weird enough already, come to find that Quinto’s character has an inoperable brain tumor — which goes a long way toward lowering his inhibitions and explains all three of the borderline-inept montages in this otherwise slick-looking movie. Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for slick 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English slyke; akin to Old English *slician

Verb

Middle English sliken, from Old English *slician; akin to Old High German slīhhan to glide

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

1849, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

1825, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of slick was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near slick

Cite this Entry

“Slick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slick. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

slick

1 of 3 verb
: to make sleek or smooth

slick

2 of 3 adjective
1
a
: having a smooth surface : slippery
a slick road
b
: having or showing skill and style but no depth
slick writing
2
a
b
: quick and neat in action : skillful
slickly adverb
slickness noun

slick

3 of 3 noun
: something that is smooth or slippery
especially : a smooth patch of water covered with a film of oil

More from Merriam-Webster on slick

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!