lubricious

/luˈbɹɪʃəs/

//luˈbɹɪʃəs// adj

"lubricious" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lubricious” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Smooth and glassy; slippery.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lubricious · lubricious · English

lubricious · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for lubricious
PropertyValue
Headwordlubricious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/luˈbɹɪʃəs/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “lubricious” in English

lubriciousranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lubricious is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /luˈbɹɪʃəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for lubricious, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin lūbricus (“slippery”). Doublet of lubricous. The correct English form is lubricious, spelled L-U-B-R-I-C-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Smooth and glassy; slippery.
  2. 2
    Lewd, lascivious, obscene, wanton, salacious or lecherous.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how lubricious appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. His imagination wanders between a wild sensuality,—so lubricious in its suggestions, now and then, as to occasion gossip to the effect that he had become a libertine,—and a sublimated philosophy based on Platonic conceptions of a prenatal existence, or upon Leibnitzian conceptions of a pre-established harmony.
  2. Lubricious bank managers and building society chairmen who have never danced before throw off their jackets, confess to barren lives and worship Rick the giver of their sun and rain.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin lūbricus (“slippery”). Doublet of lubricous.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lubricious"?
"lubricious" is spelled L-U-B-R-I-C-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /luˈbɹɪʃəs/.
What does "lubricious" mean?
As an adjective, "lubricious" means: Smooth and glassy; slippery.
How do you pronounce "lubricious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lubricious" is /luˈbɹɪʃəs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "lubricious"?
Learned borrowing from Latin lūbricus (“slippery”). Doublet of lubricous. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list