kinkier; kinkiest
1
: closely twisted or curled
2
: relating to, having, or appealing to unconventional tastes especially in sex
also : sexually deviant
3
kinkily adverb
kinkiness noun

Example Sentences

She says her boyfriend is a little kinky. while passing through the airport, don't wear any kinky clothing that is likely to pique the interest of security
Recent Examples on the Web The hair at the nape of the neck, which is typically shorter, kinkier and considered more difficult to style. cakewalk (n.): 1. Today, NBC News, 31 May 2023 The team looked at wavy, curly, and kinky hairs and measured their mechanical properties with a texture analyzer. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 27 Mar. 2023 Type 4 hair is of a kinkier texture, and right in the middle of the curly spectrum lies type 3 hair, which usually consists of loose to tight curls. Sabrina Talbert, Women's Health, 4 May 2023 This was a small motormouth Italian man with a slight paunch, charming to his core, decked out with rings, and sporting an unruly mop of kinky hair. Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2023 According to the results, wavy hair had less than one full contour in that length, curly hair had about two, and kinky or coily hair had approximately three or more. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 27 Mar. 2023 The ratio was negligible for straight hair, about 0.8 for wavy, 1.1 for kinky, and 1.4 for curly. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 27 Mar. 2023 Later, some men did want to do more kinky stuff, way more than Ned Johnson; one of them tied me up and gagged me and hit me hard enough to leave marks. Mary Gaitskill, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2023 When Gary heads out to find him, the story grows forbidding and a little kinky. Anita Felicelli, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kinky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of kinky was in 1844

Dictionary Entries Near kinky

Cite this Entry

“Kinky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kinky. Accessed 8 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

kinky

adjective
kinkier; kinkiest
1
: tightly twisted or curled
2
: very strange or odd
kinkiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on kinky

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