dinky

American  

[ding-kee] / ˈdɪŋ ki /

adjective

dinkier, dinkiest

1. Informal. small, unimportant, unimpressive, or shabby.

   We stayed in a dinky old hotel.

2. British Informal. fashionable; well dressed; smart.

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noun

plural

dinkies

1. dinkey.

dinky British  

/ ˈdɪŋkɪ /

adjective

1. small and neat; dainty

2. inconsequential; insignificant

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Etymology

Origin of dinky

1780–90; compare Scots dink neatly dressed, trim (of obscure origin); sense shift perhaps: trim > dainty > small > insignificant; -y ¹

Explanation

Something that's dinky is very small or unimportant. A college freshmen might be shocked at how dinky her dorm room is. You might live in a dinky apartment or sit down to a child's tea party, sipping out of dinky, doll-sized tea cups. Dinky, meaning "tiny," is often used to complain about the smallness or insignificance of something: "All I get is this dinky slice of cake, after I helped you bake it?" Other meanings include a small metal model of a car and a little train car. It comes from the Scottish dink, "trim" or "neat."

Example Sentences

But in this reversal of fortune, he is the largest opponent, taking it upon himself to defend a dinky innocent from a herd of hunters dwarfed by his size but much larger than the cricket.

From Salon • Feb. 1, 2026

However, Mazda’s Stateside marketers seem aware their biggest SUV still looks kind of dinky.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025

There will be dozens of other dinky parochial interests from individual members to tend to as well, but that’s standard.

From Slate • May 17, 2025

It turns out that the asteroid Dinkinesh has a dinky sidekick — a mini moon.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 3, 2023

Venus was only a planet, he went on, and pretty dinky compared to real stars.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls