inkling
Americannoun
-
a slight suggestion or indication; hint; intimation.
They hadn't given us an inkling of what was going to happen.
-
a vague idea or notion; slight understanding.
They didn't have an inkling of how the new invention worked.
noun
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.
Bill Clinton has said he “had no inkling of the crimes” Epstein was committing and learned of them only through media reports.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026
That includes at least one former clerk who may well be in contact with the justice and even have an inkling of his plans.
From Slate • Feb. 13, 2026
We’re willing to bet he had at least an inkling this could happen.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025
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 • Nov. 21, 2025
We hastened down the trail to it as we had an inkling that there was a visitors’ center there, which meant the possibility of a cafeteria and other gratifying contacts with the developed world.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
