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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
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 19 Mar. 2025
Only captain Alex Greenwood, who had been informed ahead of the call as a matter of priority, had an inkling of what was coming.
—Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025
President Trump's shock-and-awe tactics have been met with a congressional scramble to move his agenda — but inklings of discomfort are showing on DOGE.
—Daniel Moore, Axios, 13 Mar. 2025
With new pathways unfurling and just an inkling of what the full story holds in store, the preview build of Absolum left us wanting to see much more.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inkling
Cite this Entry
“Inkling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inkling. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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