sleek

1 of 2

adjective

ˈslēk 

1

a

: smooth and glossy as if polished

sleek dark hair

b

: having a smooth well-groomed look

sleek cattle

c

: healthy-looking

2

: smooth in speech or manner

also : unctuous

3

a

: having a prosperous air

sleek luxury condominiums

b

: having trim graceful lines

a sleek car

c

: elegant, stylish

a sleek wardrobe

sleekly adverb

sleekness noun

sleek

2 of 2

verb

sleeked; sleeking; sleeks

transitive verb

1

: slick

grooms sleeking cooled horses

—Sunset

2

: to cover up : gloss over

intransitive verb

: slick

Synonyms

Adjective

• polished
• glossy
• glistening

Choose the Right Synonym for sleek

sleek, slick, glossy mean having a smooth bright surface or appearance.

sleek suggests a smoothness or brightness resulting from attentive grooming or physical conditioning.

a sleek racehorse

slick suggests extreme smoothness that results in a slippery surface.

slipped and fell on the slick floor

glossy suggests a highly reflective surface.

photographs having a glossy finish

Examples of sleek in a Sentence

Adjective

the sleek lines of a sports car

a striking beauty with sleek raven hair

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The black tiger stripes are a sleek touch, and the orange trim around the numbers adds continuity. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025

Her sleek black blowout was wrapped up in XL hair rollers, before her big bombshell reveal on the catwalk. —Essence, 16 Oct. 2025

Verb

Wade’s pair sits comfortably between those poles — sleek enough for a gala, directional enough to read as trend-aware. —Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2025

Since your bottom half will be especially busy, keep things sleek up top with a simple tank, a plain T-shirt, or a sleek leather jacket. —Aemilia Madden, Glamour, 8 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

alteration of slick entry 1

Verb

Middle English sleken, alteration of sliken — more at slick entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for sleek

• beak
• beek
• bleak
• cheek
• chic
• clique
• creak
• creek
• eke
• freak
• geek
• greek

Kids Definition

sleek

1 of 2 verb

ˈslēk 

: to make or become sleek

sleek

2 of 2 adjective

1

a

: smooth and glossy as if polished

sleek dark hair

b

: having a smooth healthy well-groomed look

sleek cattle grazing

2

: having a prosperous look or manner

sleekly adverb

sleekness noun