Slinky
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A toy in the form of a loose metal (originally) or plastic spring that can be made to "walk" down stairs as its coils separate and close up.
- 1 Furtive, stealthy or catlike.
"“But of all the awful, second-rate girls I ever met, she’s the worst! […] She’s a sly, creepy, slinky, made-up, insincere vampire! She’s common! She’s awful! She’s a cat!”"
- 2 Thin; lank; lean. Northumbria, dated
"Do you see that are tall, limber-timbered, slinky-lookin' man with the blue cloak and two long black cords a-hangin' from it with almighty big tassels a-danglin' to the eend^([sic]) of it like the lamp-rope there, a-carryin' part of the cloak folded on one arm like a Roman senator, and t'other arm kimber, with his hat cockaded military like?--well, that is General Conrad Corncob."
- 3 Of a garment: close-fitting; clingy.
"The double-breasted blazer which is on every front row this season came with an elbow-length sleeve for spring, while jumpsuits, a signature of the label, came slinky and tailored or in a blowsier boiler suit silhouette."
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"“But of all the awful, second-rate girls I ever met, she’s the worst! […] She’s a sly, creepy, slinky, made-up, insincere vampire! She’s common! She’s awful! She’s a cat!”"
Etymology
From slink + -y.
The term was coined in 1943 by Betty James which means sleek and graceful
Related phrases
More for "slinky"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.