silken

adjective

silk·​en ˈsil-kən 

1

: made or consisting of silk

2

: resembling silk: such as

a

: soft, lustrous

b(1)

: agreeably smooth : harmonious

a silken voice

(2)

: suave, ingratiating

3

a

: dressed in silk

silken ankles

b

: having a richly luxurious quality

… the same silken surroundings encountered at the restaurant's far more expensive evening meal.

—Elaine Tait

Synonyms of silken

• silky
• satin
• soft

Examples of silken in a Sentence

the silken texture of the synthetic fabric

she was unaccustomed to living in such silken surroundings

Recent Examples on the Web

Soft, silken black hair is the latter—sexy, mysterious, and luxurious. —Loren Savini, Allure, 4 Dec. 2025

The Running Man show itself, overseen by a silken Colman Domingo as host Bobby T, is presented as something like American Idol if, instead of singing, everyone were just trying to put off receiving a kill shot to the head for as long as possible. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025

Even our silken fruits offer their wet to afternoon sky. —Carson Colenbaugh, The Atlantic, 9 Nov. 2025

Higher up, spiders had hoisted shells into the branches, dangling them from silken threads like miniature wind chimes. —Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 30 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for silken

• milken

Kids Definition

silken

adjective

silk·​en ˈsil-kən 

1

: made of or with silk

2

: resembling silk especially in soft smooth feel

3

: pleasantly smooth

a silken voice