self-lubricating

Inherently reduces friction

Self-lubricating describes materials or mechanisms that produce or retain their own lubrication, requiring no external oil or grease: self-lubricating bearings, self-lubricating polymers.

The property comes from embedded lubricants that migrate to the surface during use, or from materials inherently slippery at the molecular level.

In sexual contexts, self-lubricating refers to body parts or toys that produce moisture naturally or by design.

mechanical

bearing

Posture or orientation

  • bushingFriction-reducing sleeve insert
  • polymerLarge repeated-unit molecule
  • PTFEFluoropolymer with low friction

friction · maintenance-free · sleeve · graphite · nylon · composite · shaft · pivot · hinge · gearbox

biological

synovial

Of joint membranes

  • cartilageFlexible connective body tissue
  • jointShared by multiple parties
  • mucousSlime-producing, bodily

membrane · secretion · tears · saliva · natural · bodily · viscous · protective · fluid · hyaluronic

materials

Teflon

Nonstick pan coating

matrix · coating · additive · thermoplastic · filament · compound · resin · impregnated

Opposites
lubrication dependency

self-lubricatinghigh-maintenance

Requiring excessive attention

needs oiling · unlubricated · labor-intensive

friction characteristics

self-lubricatingabrasive

Rough enough to erode

rough · galling · seizing · binding · sticky

Family

self, lubricating, lubricate, lubricated, lubricates, lubrication, lubricant, lubricants, lubricator

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated PG