inkling

American  

[ingk-ling] / ˈɪŋk lɪŋ /

noun

1. a slight suggestion or indication; hint; intimation.

   They hadn't given us an inkling of what was going to happen.

2. a vague idea or notion; slight understanding.

   They didn't have an inkling of how the new invention worked.

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inkling British  

/ ˈɪŋklɪŋ /

noun

1. a slight intimation or suggestion; suspicion

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Etymology

Origin of inkling

1505–15; obsolete inkle to hint ( Middle English inklen ) + -ing ¹; akin to Old English inca suspicion

Example Sentences

We’re willing to bet he had at least an inkling this could happen.

From The Wall Street Journal

Note the type of questions the employee asks—do they indicate the person has an inkling of what you need them to do?

From The Wall Street Journal

We had no inkling at the time what the public response would be - but it was soon clear that something astonishing was happening.

From BBC

And because the stock has rallied for so long, even the smallest inkling of a crack in the company story can trigger a selloff.

From Barron's

“I had no inkling,” he would write, “that my life was changing forever.”

From Literature

Related Words

• hunch
• indication