sleek

¹ American  

[sleek] / slik /

adjective

sleeker, sleekest

1. smooth or glossy, as hair, an animal, etc.

2. well-fed or well-groomed.

3. trim and graceful; finely contoured; streamlined.

   a sleek sports car.

4. smooth in manners, speech, etc.; suave.

5. cleverly or deceitfully skillful; slick.

   a sleek confidence man.

   Synonyms:

   slippery, shady, glib, shrewd, artful, smooth, refined, polished

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sleek ² American  

[sleek] / slik /

Also sleeken

verb (used with object)

1. to make sleek; smooth; slick.

   to sleek leather.

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sleek British  

/ sliːk /

adjective

1. smooth and shiny; polished

2. polished in speech or behaviour; unctuous

3. (of an animal or bird) having a shiny healthy coat or feathers

4. (of a person) having a prosperous appearance

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verb

1. to make smooth and glossy, as by grooming, etc

2. (usually foll by over) to cover (up), as by making more agreeable; gloss (over)

Other Word Forms

• sleeker noun
• sleekly adverb
• sleekness noun
• sleeky adjective

Etymology

Origin of sleek¹

First recorded in 1580–90; variant of slick

Origin of sleek¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English sleken, variant of slick

Example Sentences

For furniture company Gautier, U.S. tariffs were bad news, hitting sales of the sleek, European pieces that it exports from France to American customers.

From The Wall Street Journal

The new transparent interface looks sleek, but can feel like reading text on a foggy mirror.

From The Wall Street Journal

The sleek blue tube and gold lid of both products look remarkably similar.

From BBC

The toy they ended up building is a sleek block in pastel colors that sits under the TV and looks like a Rubik’s Cube.

From The Wall Street Journal

Compared to the toolbox angularity of its rivals, the CX-90’s presentation is sleek, urbane, even fancy, with lots of brightwork accenting the front and rear bumpers, rocker panels and grille frame.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• glistening
• polished
• satin
• shiny
• silky