dinky

[ ding-kee ]

adjective

, dink·i·er, dink·i·est.

1. Informal. small, unimportant, unimpressive, or shabby:

   We stayed in a dinky old hotel.

2. British Informal. fashionable; well dressed; smart.

noun

, plural dink·ies.

1. dinkey.

dinky

/ ˈdɪŋkɪ /

adjective

1. small and neat; dainty
2. inconsequential; insignificant

Word History and Origins

Origin of dinky¹

1780–90; compare Scots dink neatly dressed, trim (of obscure origin); sense shift perhaps: trim > dainty > small > insignificant; -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of dinky¹

C18 (in the sense: dainty): from dink

Example Sentences

The fruits of that success are a newly discovered asteroid—an even dinkier Dinky, as it were—and a host of puzzles to solve.

From Scientific American

It turns out that the asteroid Dinkinesh has a dinky sidekick — a mini moon.

From Seattle Times

He threw so many dinky passes last season what’s the point of having a big arm?

From Los Angeles Times

Kitty Flanagan cocreated and stars in this Australian comedy about a lawyer whose life collapses, so she finds herself working in a dinky suburban law firm.

From New York Times

That’s close—one fifteenth the distance of Earth from the Sun—but remember, we’re talking red dwarf here, and a particularly dinky one.

From Scientific American