SLEEKING Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

sleeking

verb

present participle of sleek

as in smoothing

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleeking

Verb

The combination bristles feel amazing on my scalp (like the best head scratch ever) while also smoothing my incredibly frizzy hair.

— Kiana Murden, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2026
Water from the lakes is also used to generate hydroelectric power and to ensure a steady, predictable flow of water downstream, smoothing the water supply during droughts and when snowpack in the Rocky Mountains is low.

— Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of smoothing

Verb

As tempting as slicking on a coat of foundation and calling it a day sounds, the best way to achieve true, Witherspoon-level ethereal skin is by prepping it with a moisturizing base.

— Irene Richardson, InStyle, 28 June 2026
Naturally, Sombr relished the moment by slicking back his hair and wiping his eyeliner to end the song with a flourish.

— Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026

Definition of slicking

Verb

After returning to full training last week and shining on his first appearance in the 2-0 victory over Como on Sunday, there was both relief and excitement at Anfield to see him finally in action.

— Gregg Evans, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
The pending Lakers sale, under which 41-year-old venture capitalist Joshua Kushner would eventually take control of one of America’s most storied franchises, is a shining example.

— Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of shining

Verb

Sangare is not the finished product, but Brentford’s track record of finding and polishing young players with high potential casts this move in a promising light.

— Cerys Jones, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Born into a Krymchak Jewish family in Haifa and raised poor in Brownsville, Brooklyn, Bakshi entered the animation industry at just 18, polishing dirt from cels at Terrytoons.

— Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of polishing

Verb

For instance, Qidi had to include a piece of Velcro to prevent the Polar Cooler tube from rubbing against the glass surface inside the top cover.

— Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 15 Aug. 2026
Republicans are rubbing their hands in glee at the neocommunist advance in their opposing party.

— Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of rubbing

Verb

The easy-to-use glossing treatment, which should be applied to damp hair and followed by a blow dryer to activate the frizz-fighting alpha acids, is a semi-permanent smoothing spray that basically creates a water-resistant shield to prevent flyaways—even in the most humid of places.

— Eva Thomas, InStyle, 9 Apr. 2026
Critchley, glossing Julian of Norwich, draws a distinction between seeing and seeing through creation, but this is a false dichotomy.

— Christian Wiman, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025

Definition of glossing

Verb

The Obama Presidential Center opening June 18 also bodes well for tourism, both in burnishing the city’s image and creating a new attraction to draw domestic and international visitors to Chicago, Reynolds said.

— Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026
Murdaugh’s father, a grandfather and a great-grandfather were each elected as top prosecutors in the region, burnishing a family reputation that eventually crumbled.

— Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 13 May 2026

Definition of burnishing

Verb

In May 2025, a huge mass of rock and ice from a glacier thundered down the mountainside in the nearby Loetschental valley, sending plumes of dust skyward and coating with mud nearly all of Blatten, which had been evacuated earlier as a precaution.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
For use directly on the body, the team added a polydopamine coating to improve skin compatibility.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of coating

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

sleeked

sleeking

sleeks

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sleeking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleeking. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of sleeking

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on sleeking

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

prowess

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes