Synonyms

inky

American

[ing-kee] / ˈɪŋ ki /

adjective

inkier, inkiest

black as ink.

inky shadows.
resembling ink.

The solution was an inky liquid.
stained with ink.

inky fingers.
of or relating to ink.
consisting of or containing ink.
written with ink.

inky British

/ ˈɪŋkɪ /

adjective

resembling ink, esp in colour; dark or black
of, containing, or stained with ink

inky fingers

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

inkiness noun

Etymology

Origin of inky

First recorded in 1575–85; ink + -y ¹

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.

My eyes don’t stray from the inky number.

From Literature

Thor woke from his nap just when Laurence was finishing the last bath, which was for an inky spaniel named Webster.

From Literature

Nevertheless: “Once more you drown one of your own in the inky depths of democracy,” Cumming intones after Funches poignantly exits.

From Salon

When he discovered black beans, he found them downright exotic—inky, fudgy, definitely not the same old pintos.

From The Wall Street Journal

“This is my witches’ brew,” she said laughing as she stirred the viscous inky liquid inside the bucket.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023