Meanings
nounshale oil (countable and uncountable, plural shale oils)
plural shale oils
- countableuncountableA synthetic crude oil obtained by the pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution of oil shale.
Up in the mountains along both sides of Parachute Creek the Exxon Corporation and other companies have begun to pour billions of dollars into two huge projects to turn the nation's immense reserves of oil shale into shale oil.
1981 November 6, Robert D. Hershey Jr, “Shale Oil Is Coming Of Age”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA crude oil obtained from low permeability petroleum-bearing formations (shales).
Similar
Translations
Bulgarian ши́стов нефт, ши́стов нефт
- ши́стов нефт (šístov neft)synthetic crude oil obtained by the pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution of oil shale
- ши́стов нефт (šístov neft)crude oil obtained from low permeability petroleum bearing formations
Spanish petróleo de esquisto, petróleo de formaciones compactas
- petróleo de esquistosynthetic crude oil obtained by the pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution of oil shale
- petróleo de formaciones compactascrude oil obtained from low permeability petroleum bearing formations
Cite this entry
APA
shale oil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shale%20oil
MLA
“shale oil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shale%20oil. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shale oil,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shale%20oil.
Source: shale oil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.