OILY (oilier, oiliest)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: oilier    , oiliest   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does oily mean? 

• OILY (adjective)
  The adjective OILY has 4 senses:

1. containing an unusual amount of grease or oil

2. unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech

3. coated or covered with oil

4. smeared or soiled with grease or oil

  Familiarity information: OILY used as an adjective is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OILY (adjective)

Comparative: oilier   
Superlative: oiliest   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Containing an unusual amount of grease or oil

Synonyms:

greasy; oily; oleaginous; sebaceous

Context example:

oleaginous seeds

Similar:

fat; fatty (containing or composed of fat)

Derivation:

oil (any of a group of liquid edible fats that are obtained from plants)

oiliness (consisting of or covered with oil)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech

Synonyms:

buttery; fulsome; oily; oleaginous; smarmy; soapy; unctuous

Context example:

soapy compliments

Similar:

insincere (lacking sincerity)

Derivation:

oiliness (smug self-serving earnestness)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Coated or covered with oil

Context example:

oily puddles in the streets

Similar:

coated (having a coating; covered with an outer layer or film; often used in combination)

Derivation:

oil (a slippery or viscous liquid or liquefiable substance not miscible with water)

oiliness (consisting of or covered with oil)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Smeared or soiled with grease or oil

Synonyms:

greasy; oily

Context example:

get rid of rubbish and oily rags

Similar:

dirty; soiled; unclean (soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime)

Derivation:

oiliness (consisting of or covered with oil)

 Context examples 

I walked across to the Savage Club, but instead of turning into it I leaned upon the railings of Adelphi Terrace and gazed thoughtfully for a long time at the brown, oily river.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

An oil derived from the tissues of oily fish.

(Fish Oil, NCI Thesaurus)

Substances that control the excessive secretion of sebum, the oily secretions from sweat glands.

(Antiseborrheic Agent, NCI Thesaurus)

A flare of acne which may be precipitated by variety of factors, including hormonal activity, stress, oils and oily cosmetics, sweat, overwashing, and certain foods and drugs.

(Aggravated Acne, NCI Thesaurus)

An oily substance taken from sheep's wool.

(Lanolin, NCI Dictionary)

A type of oil that is made from petroleum (mixture of oily liquids found in the earth).

(Mineral oil, NCI Dictionary)

Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and oily stools.

(Pancreatitis, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

The skin texture is neither fine or thick and it neither feels dry or oily to the touch.

(Normal Skin, NCI Thesaurus)

A yellow, viscous, oily nitrosamine that is highly unstable in the presence of light.

(N-Nitrosodi-n-butylamine, NCI Thesaurus)

Sites with oily skin had more stable bacterial and fungal communities.

(Skin microbes fairly stable over time, NIH)