1
as in unsure
not feeling sure about the truth, wisdom, or trustworthiness of someone or something
the cop was feeling hinky about the whole situation and was starting to think that it was a setup
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty
after noticing that the driver seemed hinky, the border guard demanded that he submit to an inspection of his vehicle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hinky
Even with such an expansion afoot, odd missteps, hinky plotholes, and confounding questions still abound.
—
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 19 Nov. 2024
These sorts of trust schemes have been around a long time and are known by a variety of hinky names such as the constitutional equity pure trust or a pure trust organization.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
Well, that's the question that some people will ask is: Why didn't someone just throw a hinky vote at someone?
—EW.com, 2 Nov. 2023
Lumber prices have shot up again in a rise reminiscent of a year ago, when high-climbing wood prices warned of the hinky supply lines and broad inflation to come.
—Ryan Dezember, WSJ, 19 Dec. 2021
Some of these outcasts — like the would-be killer of Ronald Reagan, John Hinckley (a hinky looking Adam Chanler-Berat) — are all too familiar.
—Marilyn Stasio, Variety, 14 Nov. 2021
The scene at the small, Northeast Hancock Street house was hinky.
—oregonlive, 3 May 2021
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 19 Nov. 2024
These sorts of trust schemes have been around a long time and are known by a variety of hinky names such as the constitutional equity pure trust or a pure trust organization.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
Well, that's the question that some people will ask is: Why didn't someone just throw a hinky vote at someone?
—EW.com, 2 Nov. 2023
Lumber prices have shot up again in a rise reminiscent of a year ago, when high-climbing wood prices warned of the hinky supply lines and broad inflation to come.
—Ryan Dezember, WSJ, 19 Dec. 2021
Some of these outcasts — like the would-be killer of Ronald Reagan, John Hinckley (a hinky looking Adam Chanler-Berat) — are all too familiar.
—Marilyn Stasio, Variety, 14 Nov. 2021
The scene at the small, Northeast Hancock Street house was hinky.
—oregonlive, 3 May 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hinky
Adjective
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Like many students, Headley is now left in limbo, unsure how finals will be submitted or graded.—
Tori Mason,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
-
The Mets are unsure if his hip led to decreased velocity.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
At Cal Poly Pomona, director of media relations Cynthia Peters directed students and staff who were worried about being unable to access their course materials as a result of the incident to a Reddit post uploaded by the school’s Bookstore faculty on Thursday.—
Kristy Hutchings,
Daily News,
7 May 2026
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But locals are worried that other companies could move in.—
NPR,
NPR,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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At the same time, police also noted suspicious behavior from McDermitt — including him mourning Fox's death on Facebook.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
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Agents were suspicious that Cruz would not have had enough time to reach the Lukeville Port of Entry to pick up passengers.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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In the draft room, Bisciotti looked nervous as the pick approached, worried another team — or even his own GM — might snag Randall.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Some nervous Democrats and their allies worry that language could thwart installation of a Democratic majority in the next Congress.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Everything everywhere all at once However, some analysts are skeptical about the ability of hyperscalers to maintain the current phenomenal capex figures into the future.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
-
The women suffered the indignity of multiple interviews, intimate evidence gathering and skeptical lines of questioning from the police, among other things.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Last month, despite Orbán’s formidable, long-standing attempts to rig the legal and electoral systems in his favor, Magyar won, in a stunning upset.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
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Gunther was upset that Rhodes was taking his screen time.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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The team now plans to further refine the method for broader industrial applications where robots must operate under uncertain or changing conditions.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
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In March, Beijing set its lowest growth target in decades, as the world’s second-largest economy grapples with weak domestic demand and an uncertain global outlook.—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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In Louisiana, nearly 180,000 early ballots for House races already cast won’t be counted under the redrawn districts, leaving voters like Sallie Davis anxious their votes won’t be tallied.—
John Hanna,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
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Viral genetics Researchers around the globe are also anxious to get the genomic data of the ANDV virus.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hinky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hinky. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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