OILY Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

oily

adjective

ˈȯi-lē

Definition of oily

as in soapy

overly or insincerely flattering an executive who surrounds herself with oily, sycophantic assistants

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of oily Fatty Fish Fatty or oily fish are fish and other seafood that naturally store oil all over their bodies, including their tissues and around their guts. — Joy Emeh, Health, 22 June 2026 Firstly, my non-negotiable is that the formula has to actually preserve my makeup despite my hyper-oily complexion. — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 18 June 2026 Key Takeaways Eating leafy green vegetables, whole grains, nuts, berries, legumes, oily fish, and more may lower LDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. — Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 16 June 2026 The same collection also includes Clinique’s Moisturizing Gel for oily skin types, and this version adds SPF 35 to double as a daily face sunscreen that’s safe for sensitive skin. — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for oily

Recent Examples of Synonyms for oily

Adjective

Using too much detergent leaves soapy residue in fabrics, trapping dirt, bacteria, and hard water minerals, which leaves clothes looking dull, feeling stiff and scratchy, and smelling bad.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 5 July 2026
Wipe out any obvious crumbs with a dry rag, then return with a soapy microfiber cloth.

— Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 4 July 2026

Definition of soapy

Adjective

Toxic fumes are leaking into airplanes and sickening passengers and crew members at an alarming rate, according to a September 2025 report by The Wall Street Journal.

— Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 15 June 2026
The concept of this many women vying for West is somewhat sickening to me.

— Emma Specter, Vogue, 27 May 2026

Definition of sickening

Adjective

One defense, beginning in the late eighteen-hundreds, was flypaper, sheets of which were coated on one side with an oleaginous substance that lured flies, then permanently trapped them.

— David Owen, The New Yorker, 27 July 2024
Ted Cruz, the perennial front-runner, is smug and oleaginous—hated equally by his colleagues and the public.

— Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 26 Sep. 2022

Definition of oleaginous

Adjective

The unctuous and sweet char siu pork jowl is interspersed with green apple pressed with lime and ginger for a bright and crisp counter to the fatty pig.

— Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 16 June 2026
Made with the unctuous 8-percent-fat milk of the water buffalo—animals that may have arrived in the area via the Normans by way of Sicily, or perhaps by the Goths coming from Central Asia—buffalo mozzarella has been produced at least since the twelfth century.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026

Definition of unctuous

Adjective

Except for the unfettered devotion in the latter is replaced by swooping strings and a gushy chorus that merely offer an antiseptic veneer.

— Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 18 June 2026
The announcement may come as a shock for country fans who have followed the couple through their sappy podcast appearances and gushy acceptance speeches.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026

Definition of gushy

Adjective

Though mighty hagiographic, McPhee’s ability to break down a player’s gifts makes a poetic case for the game.

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 18 June 2026
While these celebrity docs are hagiographic and formulaic, the interviews with Nadal and family and rivals like Federer and Novak Djokovic do push beyond the surface.

— Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026

Definition of hagiographic

Adjective

Cheap, abundant labor is exactly the condition under which a company most needs a grown-up in the room to decide what all that fast output should add up to.

— Sue Mysko, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
English colonists from Barbados and Bermuda settled in the region during that time, bringing with them enslaved Africans with their own abundant culinary heritage.

— Amethyst Ganaway, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026