hinky

adjective

hin·​ky ˈhiŋ-kē 

hinkier; hinkiest

1

slang : nervous, jittery

2

slang : suspicious

Synonyms

• distrustful
• doubtful
• dubious
• mistrustful
• skeptical
• suspicious
• trustless
• uncertain
• unconvinced
• undecided
• unsettled
• unsure

Examples of hinky in a Sentence

the cop was feeling hinky about the whole situation and was starting to think that it was a setup

after noticing that the driver seemed hinky, the border guard demanded that he submit to an inspection of his vehicle

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Certainly, there was no shortage of hinky transactions precipitated by the debtors who were intent on protecting their residence as long as possible. —Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2021

The scene at the small, Northeast Hancock Street house was hinky. —oregonlive, 3 May 2021

To him, the statistics in the Lancet paper looked hinky. —Adam Rogers, Wired, 11 Nov. 2020

Word History

Etymology

alteration of argot hincty suspicious

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hinky

• dinky
• inky
• kinky
• pinkie
• pinky
• slinky
• stinky