dinky

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɪŋki/
• Rhymes: -ɪŋki

Etymology

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

Adjective

dinky (comparative dinkier, superlative dinkiest)

1. (informal, British) Tiny and cute; small and attractive.
   • 1915, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of the Island, ch. 11

     How do you like my hat? That one you had on in church yesterday was real dinky.

   • 2010, Sharon Wallace, A House Full of Whispers‎^[1], page 5:

     I played in the dirt with a small dinky car as the garage held no fascination for a little girl of five.

2. (informal, US) Tiny and insignificant; small and undesirable.

   They stayed in a dinky hotel room, but they had a great trip.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:tiny

Translations

(informal, British) Tiny and cute; small and charmful

• French: mignon (fr) m, croquignolet (fr) m
• German: schnuckelig (de), niedlich (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: изящный (ru) (izjaščnyj)

(informal, US) Tiny and insignificant; small and undesirable

• French: croquignolet (fr) m
• German: klein und schäbig, klein und mies
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: невзрачный (ru) (nevzračnyj)
• Spanish: minúsculo (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Bulgarian: спретнат (bg) (spretnat), изящен (bg) (izjašten)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Noun

dinky (plural dinkies)

1. A person in a relationship with double income and no kids

Anagrams

• kindy