Silky Meaning
/ˈsɪlki/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjSimilar in appearance or texture (especially in softness and smoothness) to silk.
adjSmooth and pleasant; seductive.
Sentence Examples
A spider can produce a silky substance from tiny openings on its underside.
This cloth is really smooth and silky.
She had long black hair with a silky lustre.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The cat's ____ fur was so smooth that it felt like satin.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The lotion left her skin feeling incredibly ____ and hydrated.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English sylky, equivalent to silk + -y.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"A portion of the Baromez does present a rude resemblance in its shape to the figure of an animal, and is covered by a soft downy substance, which may be compared to a silky fleece, of a reddish-brown colour, and which gives to it more the appearance of a dog than a lamb."
— [1866], “The Field and the Heath”, in Beauties and Wonders of Vegetable Life; […], London: The Religious Tract Society, […], →OCLC, page 263:
"Then I looked close at the scalp he stroked, which was of the silkiest blonde. For a moment I was sure it come from Olga’s dear head, and reckoned also he had little Gus’s fine skull-cover someplace among his filthy effects, the stinking old savage, living out his life of murder, rapine, and squalor, and I almost knifed him before I collected myself and realized the hair was honeyer than my Swedish wife’s."
— 1964, Thomas Berger, “My Indian Wife”, in Little Big Man, New York, N.Y.: Dial Press, →LCCN, page 214:
"The door opened, and there stood Miss Ellerby, looking as Miss Ellerby should, unschoolmarmish and casually chic in a silky shirt, faded jeans, and running shoes."
— 1986, E. N. Welch, “Just an Unofficial Investigation”, in Cynthia Manson, editor, Murder on Main Street: Small-Town Crime from Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine & Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, New York, N.Y.: Barnes & Noble Books, published 1993, →ISBN, page 238:
"If you have a circular polarizer or a neutral density (grey) filter, put that in front of the lens too. This will slow down the shutter speed even further to get silkier, smoothier (that's a word!) water motion."
— 2017, Gary L. Friedman, The Friedman Archives Guide to the Sony RX-10 IV:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The cat's ____ fur was so smooth that it felt like satin.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The lotion left her skin feeling incredibly ____ and hydrated.