greasy

[ gree-see, ‐zee ]
See synonyms for greasy on Thesaurus.com
adjective,greas·i·er, greas·i·est.
  1. smeared, covered, or soiled with grease.

  2. composed of or containing grease; oily: greasy food.

  1. greaselike in appearance or to the touch; slippery.

  2. insinuatingly unctuous in manner; repulsively slick; oily.

  3. Veterinary Pathology. affected with grease.

Origin of greasy

1
First recorded in 1505–15

pronunciation note For greasy

greasy is almost always pronounced as [gree-zee], /ˈgri zi/, with a medial [z], /z/, in the South Midland and Southern U.S. and as [gree-see], /ˈgri si/, with a medial [s], /s/, in New England, New York State, and the Great Lakes Basin. Speakers of New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania are divided, with some using [s] /s/ and some using [z]. /z/. Standard British English reflects both [z] /z/ and [s] /s/ pronunciations and British folk speech is also divided regionally, with [z] /z/ heard in the eastern counties and [s] /s/ in the central and western ones. Both pronunciations were brought to the colonies, where the present U.S. pattern emerged.

Other words from greasy

  • greas·i·ly, adverb
  • greas·i·ness, noun
  • non·greas·y, adjective
  • o·ver·greas·i·ness, noun
  • o·ver·greas·y, adjective
  • un·greas·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for greasy

greasy

/ (ˈɡriːzɪ, -sɪ) /


adjectivegreasier or greasiest
  1. coated or soiled with or as if with grease

  2. composed of or full of grease

  1. resembling grease

  2. unctuous or oily in manner

nounplural greasies Australian slang
  1. a shearer

  2. an outback cook, esp cooking for a number of men

Derived forms of greasy

  • greasily, adverb
  • greasiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012