slipperiness
/'slipərinis/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The quality of being slippery; a lack of friction or adhesion: This refers to the physical property of a surface that makes it difficult to hold, stand on, or grip.
- The quality of being untrustworthy or deceitful; shiftiness: This figurative meaning describes a person's character as being evasive, dishonest, or difficult to pin down.
Usage and Examples
Referring to a physical surface:
- The slipperiness of the icy pavement made walking very dangerous.
- The slipperiness of the wet soap caused it to fly out of my hand.
Referring to a person's character:
- The politician's slipperiness made it hard for journalists to get a straight answer.
- We were wary of the salesman's slipperiness in his promises.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- "A certain slipperiness": Often used to suggest a vague, hard-to-define quality of evasion or unreliability.
- There was a certain slipperiness to his argument that made me doubt his conclusions.
Variants and Related Words
Slippery (adj): Having a surface that is smooth, wet, or oily and therefore difficult to hold or stand on; (of a person) evasive and unreliable.
- The road was slippery after the rain.
- He's a slippery character who avoids direct responsibility.
Slickness (n): Can be a synonym for physical slipperiness, especially a smooth, glossy, and often deceptive surface.
- The slickness of the polished floor was a hazard.
Synonyms
- Physical quality: Slickness, lubricity, smoothness.
- Character quality: Shiftiness, evasiveness, deceitfulness, unreliability, guile.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- "As slippery as an eel": An idiom describing someone who is very evasive and difficult to catch or pin down.
- Trying to get a commitment from him is impossible; he's as slippery as an eel.
Noun
- the quality of being a slippery rascal
- a slippery smoothness
- he could feel the slickness of the tiller