silken
Americanadjective
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made of silk.
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like silk in smoothness, softness, glossiness, or delicateness.
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clad in silk.
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smoothly persuasive or ingratiating; mellifluous.
the senator's silken oratory.
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elegant; luxurious.
adjective
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made of silk
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resembling silk in smoothness or gloss
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dressed in silk
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soft and delicate
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rare luxurious or elegant
Etymology
Origin of silken
before 900; Middle English; Old English seolcen. See silk, -en 2
Explanation
If something is silken, it looks or feels as soft and shiny as silk. You can also describe things that feel like silk as silken, like your long silken hair that you coat with conditioner. The silken dress worn by a bride, or a silken scarf you wind around your neck may actually be made from the soft, slightly glossy material called silk. Your friend's long, silken hair, or a horse's silken mane, on the other hand, only resemble silk. Silken comes from the Latin word for "silk," sericum.
Vocabulary lists containing silken
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Silken, rich and fragrant with spices, Guelaguetza’s moles are a thing of beauty in all their colors and flavors.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2024
Silken shirts and shorts featured digital prints made from Google AI technology, which is speeding creative impulses.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 13, 2024
“I was fascinated by the sound of the oboe on a record we had of the overture to Rossini’s opera ‘The Silken Ladder,’” Mr. Stacy recalled in a 1996 interview with The Associated Press.
From New York Times • May 12, 2023
Silken tofu is so delicate that it’s prone to breaking up with slicing, but the size and uniformity of the pieces don’t matter at all here, so just go with it.
From Washington Post • Apr. 13, 2023
The cargomaster of the Myrish galley Silken Spirit opined that dragons were tpo dangerous at sea, where any stray breath of flame might set the rigging afire.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
