Did you know?
This may come as a surprise, but inkling has not a drop to do with ink, whether of squid, tattoo, or any other variety. Originating in English in the early 16th century, inkling comes instead from Middle English yngkiling, meaning “whisper or mention,” and perhaps further back from the verb inclen, meaning “to hint at.” An early sense of the word meant “a faint perceptible sound or undertone” or “rumor,” but now people usually use the word to refer to a vague notion someone has (“had an inkling they would be there”), or to a hint of something present (“a conversation with not even an inkling of anger”). One related word you might not have heard of is the rare verb inkle, a back-formation of inkling that in some British English dialects can mean “to utter or communicate in an undertone or whisper, to hint, give a hint of” or “to have an idea or notion of.” (Inkle is also a noun referring to “a colored linen tape or braid woven on a very narrow loom and used for trimming” but etymologists don’t have an inkling of where that inkle came from.)
Examples of inkling in a Sentence
Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 26 Feb. 2026
Here's a woman with no formal education, who spent her whole life working various jobs and living in poverty, who had an innate inkling for hybrid texts.
—Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2026
The first inkling of the government questioning the DHS account came from the US Department of Justice.
—Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
Earlier in the week while discussing the field for the 3-point shooting contest at the NBA’s 2026 All-Star festivities in Los Angeles, Kon Knueppel must’ve had an inkling.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inkling
Cite this Entry
“Inkling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inkling. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
Copy Citation
