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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sleeksimple
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sleekssimple
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have sleekedperfect
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has sleekedperfect
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am sleekingprogressive
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are sleekingprogressive
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is sleekingprogressive
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have been sleekingperfect progressive
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has been sleekingperfect progressive
Past
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sleekedsimple
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had sleekedperfect
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was sleekingprogressive
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were sleekingprogressive
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had been sleekingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Sleek cows and cheerful-looking ducks gather by the water.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
Sleek and comfortable in the hand, it’s equipped with a USB-C charging port for easy recharging and dependable performance—ideal for leveling up your game.
From Salon • Apr. 18, 2025
Sleek sea otters dive and twirl in a tank before awed visitors.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2025
Sleek, skilled, and speedy as they may be, deep neural networks struggle to master the seminal skill drilled into high school calculus students: showing their work.
From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2024
Sleek, mahogany motorboats roared by, on their way from Lake Washington into the Cut, coeds in bathing suits perched on the rear decks waving at them as they passed.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
