slinky

American  

[sling-kee] / ˈslɪŋ ki /

adjective

• slinkier,
  comparative
• slinkiest
  superlative

1. characterized by or proceeding with slinking or stealthy movements.

2. made of soft, often clinging material that follows the figure closely and flows with body movement.

   a slinky gown.

---

slinky British  

/ ˈslɪŋkɪ /

adjective

1. moving in a sinuously graceful or provocative way

2. (of clothes) figure-hugging; clinging

3. characterized by furtive movements

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• slinkiness
  noun
• slinkily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• slinkier
  comparative
• slinkiest
  superlative

---

Etymology

Origin of slinky

First recorded in 1915–20; slink + -y ¹

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

slinky slinkier slinkiest

With all of the slinky silhouettes and wearable neutrals, I had a passing thought that we might be seeing the Rick Owens-ification of Coach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

Catherine Jensen Peña, PhD, an assistant professor at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute and the study's senior and co-corresponding author, compared DNA inside cells to a coiled slinky.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

"We love love," she wrote, along with a selfie of herself in a slinky black Prada gown.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

“Forever wild, forever free … Latina foreva,” she recited from backstage, kicking off her set with the slinky reggaeton number of the same name — exalting the primordial goddess that lives inside every Latina.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026

On this map, however, India was called Malabar, and the island, which I knew to be Sri Lanka, was overlaid with slinky script that read Land of Serendip.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

The slower, slinkier and weirder side of Prince’s output is another reference point throughout.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

“Stay on That” is one of the slinkier numbers on the album, with rapidly strummed guitars and a wah-wah squawk that recalls Isaac Hayes’s “Theme From Shaft.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026

The company hinted at a slinkier, less boxy design with its Monograph concept at the New York Auto Show last spring.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 5, 2017

So the question must be asked: Are cats just like dogs but in slinkier form, eager and able to be part of the human family?

From Slate ● Jul. 5, 2015

There are exceptions; Tony isn’t quite the role for Chase Finlay , who needs to play it a bit rougher and slinkier to convince us he’s a city kid.

From New York Times ● Oct. 2, 2011

Shout out to future “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson, who joined Journey for “Raised on Radio” and proceeded to lay down the slinkiest, sultriest, funkiest bass line the band had ever known.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Jack O’Dell, the slinkiest drummer in town, is packing up his drumsticks.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 4, 2022

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---