hinky

American  

[hing-kee] / ˈhɪŋ ki /

Or hinkey,

adjective

Slang.

hinkier, hinkiest

1. acting in a nervous or very cautious way.

2. suspicious.

   Whenever he agrees with me, you know something hinky is going on!

3. snobbish; haughty.

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Usage

What does hinky mean? Hinky is a slang term that most often means suspicious or dubious, as in I didn’t open that email because the subject line seemed hinky and it might have been spam. Hinky can be used to describe people’s actions as well as objects. If your sister who never agrees with you suddenly does, you might think her agreement is a little hinky. Hinky also means acting very cautious or nervous, as in Lester was so nervous about the big exam that he was acting all hinky, tapping his pencil against the desk and wriggling in his seat. Hinky can also mean snobbish or haughty, as in Miriam’s hinky way of talking to new students let them know she didn’t think much of them and wasn’t a nice person. Example: This is hinky — why would both of them be in the same place at the same time?

Etymology

Origin of hinky

First recorded in 1920–25; origin unknown

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hinky

This week, OpenAI revealed that one of its AI models broke out into the wild and did a bunch of hinky stuff.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

What’s illegal, what’s unethical, what’s just a bit hinky?

From Slate ● May 6, 2023

While we were “90 miles out of Atlanta,” as Mr. Berry sings, the hinky air-conditioning in the back of our crowded Greyhound was making everybody grumpy.

From New York Times ● Sep. 11, 2017

“A couple of other things struck me as odd. . . . I was getting a little hinky feeling.”

From Washington Post ● Oct. 22, 2016

If things got a bit hinky in the Middle Ages, then, they nevertheless kept memory front and center.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

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