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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.
inkling British  
/ ˈɪŋklɪŋ /

noun

  1. a slight intimation or suggestion; suspicion

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of inkling

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I had no inkling that it was Janie, none, even though she had told me weeks later, that she did it and blah, blah, blah,” Ortiz told me.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

Using Claude Code was the first time many users interacted with this kind of AI, offering an inkling of what may be in store.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026

"I'm outgoing and very confident and I love being around people," Auer says, "but I get that inkling that they all think I'm stupid and ugly, and that my life is a continuum of mistakes."

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2026

“I had an inkling that she was ready to play an adult role.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2026

Charles’s inkling was confirmed: Species were not stable.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.