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Glite Dictionary
slickly

slickly

3 6.6
In a smooth, clever way that sounds true but is not sincere
  • adverb
  • /ˈslɪkli/
translation icon : con soltura
  • The road back to town ambles and twists narrowly, slickly, between low stone walls, causing Liam's tail lights to flicker in and out of sight.
  • slickly produced video
  • slickly produced
  • slickly packaged

Examples

  • The politician slickly avoided answering the tough questions during the interview.

  • At the start of the promotional video for Reality Drop above (which is very slickly done, by the way), this statement is made: "The science is settled."

    Blog text (5)

  • Paragraph 7: You slickly state that the rich received 5 trillion over the past 30 years.

    Blog text (29)

  • On the other hand, Ward seems most comfortable when he slickly boxes circles around his opponent.

    Blog text (27)

  • Desperately seeking approval while slickly spewing falsehoods.

    Blog text (14)

  • All the things a slickly packaged $40 app can do that your Mac mostly does already, but where it doesn't, there are free apps that do.

    Blog text (2)

  • Dust collectors hum, conveyor belts slide slickly, and we snag packages from conveyors that trundle before us.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • She slickly presented her ideas in a way that made them seem effortless and convincing.

  • He slickly manipulated the situation to make himself appear more competent than he truly was.

Synonyms

glibly
vsslickly
3 7.7

Speak in a smooth way that does not seem honest

uses a clever, plausibly convincing manner instead of careless ease

Antonyms

awkwardly
38 2.7

In a clumsy or uncomfortable way, often showing nervousness around other people

clumsily
12 2.8

In an awkward way that shows little skill or control

How Smooth

slickly
3 6.6
glibly
3 7.7
smoothly
173 2.3

Surface Forms

slickly positive

Morphology

slickly = slick (transparent) = slick + ly

The adverb is a direct, regular derivation from the adjective 'slick' with the productive adverbial suffix '-ly', so learners who know 'slick' can infer 'slickly'.

Etymology

The word slickly comes from slick, which means 'smooth' or 'slippery', like a shiny, oily surface. So to do something slickly is to do it very smoothly and cleverly — and that smooth feel can seem 'slippery' or not fully honest.