inky

[ing-kee]

adjective

inkier, inkiest 

1. black as ink.

   inky shadows.

2. resembling ink.

   The solution was an inky liquid.

3. stained with ink.

   inky fingers.

4. of or relating to ink.

5. consisting of or containing ink.

6. written with ink.

inky

/ ˈɪŋkɪ /

adjective

1. resembling ink, esp in colour; dark or black

2. of, containing, or stained with ink

   inky fingers

Other Word Forms

• inkiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inky¹

First recorded in 1575–85; ink + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Already the night was less inky than before, and the earliest of the early birds had taken to the treetops and were chirping their sunrise songs.

Read more on Literature

The locomotive was a gleaming scarlet, with a forbidding front grille of inky black.

Read more on Literature

As they darted by, the squid released puffs of black ink to hide themselves, and Roz found herself lost in an inky cloud.

Read more on Literature

Elsewhere, a stripe of lemon yellow radiates against an inky background, interrupted by numerous dark patches.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A signal flare arcs into the inky sky – and illuminates Chinese soldiers who have spilled out of the boat and amassed on the beach.

Read more on BBC