sleek
1 Americanadjective
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smooth or glossy, as hair, an animal, etc.
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well-fed or well-groomed.
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trim and graceful; finely contoured; streamlined.
a sleek sports car.
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smooth in manners, speech, etc.; suave.
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cleverly or deceitfully skillful; slick.
a sleek confidence man.
verb (used with object)
adjective
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smooth and shiny; polished
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polished in speech or behaviour; unctuous
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(of an animal or bird) having a shiny healthy coat or feathers
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(of a person) having a prosperous appearance
verb
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to make smooth and glossy, as by grooming, etc
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(usually foll by over) to cover (up), as by making more agreeable; gloss (over)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sleek1
First recorded in 1580–90; variant of slick
Origin of sleek2
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English sleken, variant of slick
Explanation
If your hair is sleek, it is smooth and glossy. If your car is sleek, it's shiny and looks like it goes fast. Sleek always means smooth, glossy, and streamlined. Sleek is a variant of the word, slick. When you slick back your hair with grease, it becomes sleek. Cats are often called sleek with their silky coats and lithe movements. A dress could be described as sleek, if it fits tightly to your body and makes you look polished and perfectly fit. When something is sleek, it's aerodynamic.
Vocabulary lists containing sleek
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
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"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 3
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Rebound
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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.
But walking among its sleek new buildings, housing offices and luxury apartments, it is hard to escape the sense you could be almost anywhere in the world.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
The ultimate showdown is between sleek vampire conformity and nerdy yet heroic individuality.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
A Geely dealership features the all-electric EX2, a sleek compact that starts at only around $20,000.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
The world's biggest car show opens Friday in Beijing, with hundreds of thousands of auto fans expected to descend on the Chinese capital to size up the latest sleek, teched-out models on the market.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
Even without the half-moon, Alex would have recognized the sleek dancer’s body and the close-cropped hair of the man whose photograph he had seen only a few days before.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
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.
