greaseball
greaseball Lexical Profile
greaseball Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An unappealing, unkempt, or sleazy person, especially one with oily hair or dubious morals (slang, derogatory).
"She refused to go on a second date with him because he acted like a total greaseball at the restaurant."
A congealed mass or glob of grease, fat, or oil, such as one formed in plumbing or washed ashore from polluted water.
"Plumbers had to clear a massive greaseball that was blocking the main kitchen drainpipe."
North American A person of Mediterranean or Latin American descent, especially an Italian or Hispanic person (slang, offensive, ethnic slur).
"The novel depicts the harsh prejudice faced by immigrants who were routinely called greaseballs by the local factory bosses."
Word Nuance & Usage
While often used casually in modern slang to describe a sleazy or unkempt person, "greaseball" historically served as a derogatory ethnic slur targeting people of Italian, Greek, or Hispanic descent and should be used with caution.