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

Example Sentences

Foy notes that he gets the biggest spuds he can source: “I don’t give out dinky potatoes,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

The set’s smooth, flat surfaces and simple lines feel dinky.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s dinky and depressing and it doesn’t do a thing to make the world a better place.

From Los Angeles Times

The fruits of that success are a newly discovered asteroid—an even dinkier Dinky, as it were—and a host of puzzles to solve.

From Scientific American

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

From Seattle Times