hinky

adjective

hin·ky | \ ˈhiŋ-kē

How to pronounce hinky (audio)

\

hinkier; hinkiest

Definition of hinky

1 slang : nervous, jittery

2 slang : suspicious

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about hinky

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Examples of hinky in a Sentence

the cop was feeling hinky about the whole situation and was starting to think that it was a setup after noticing that the driver seemed hinky, the border guard demanded that he submit to an inspection of his vehicle

Recent Examples on the Web But something hinky is happening on the five-year-old board charged with approving new charter applications in Alabama. — al, "Proposed LGBTQ charter school scored high marks. Alabama rejected it anyway.," 21 Sep. 2020 No longer was there just an uneasy sense that something was hinky. — Jack Hitt, Wired, "One IT Guy’s Spreadsheet-Fueled Race to Restore Voting Rights," 13 Aug. 2020 Monty Python’s Flying Circus’’ — a name chosen to evoke the moniker of a hinky theatrical booker and the shorthand for a World War I aerial squadron. — Adam Bernstein, BostonGlobe.com, "Terry Jones, 77; writer, comedian, director, purveyor of Python absurdity," 22 Jan. 2020 Liam Mulshine is a little too good as Dennis, the hinky new boyfriend who morphs into someone else. — John Timpane, Philly.com, "'Few and Evil Days' at Inis Nua: Superb family drama of lies and the past," 29 Apr. 2018 That outcome, combined with a similarly hinky 2015 election in the United Kingdom, kicked into life an ecosystem of mea maxima culpas from pollsters around the world. — Adam Rogers, WIRED, "Maybe Election Polls Aren't Broken After All," 12 Mar. 2018 Because those are almost precisely the businesses least likely to engage in shady or otherwise hinky dealings with their customers—especially those payday lenders, who are God's representatives to the finance industry. — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, "Do They Teach Poetic Justice in Betsy DeVos' Dream Schools?," 10 Feb. 2017 Joonas Donskoi was battling a hinky shoulder that had been separated twice during the season. — Mark Purdy, The Mercury News, "Purdy: Thornton’s injury could benefit Sharks — and realistically, now commits them to him," 24 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hinky.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Hinky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hinky. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.

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