Inkling Definition

ĭngklĭng
inklings
noun
inklings
An indirect suggestion; slight indication; hint.
Webster's New World
A vague idea or notion; suspicion.
Webster's New World
The definition of an inkling is a suspicion or a hint.
When you kind of suspect that someone is planning a surprise party for you but you are not quite sure, this is an example of an inkling.
YourDictionary

(dialect) Inclination, desire.

Wiktionary
verb

Present participle of inkle.

Wiktionary
Advertisement

Other Word Forms of Inkling

Noun

Singular:
inkling
Plural:
inklings

Origin of Inkling

  • From Middle English, from inklen, inclen (“to give an inkling of, hint at, mention, utter in an undertone”), from inke (“apprehension, misgiving”), from Old English inca (“doubt, suspicion”), from Proto-Germanic *inkô (“ache, regret”), from Proto-Indo-European *yenǵ- (“illness”). Cognate with Old Frisian jinc (“angered”), Old Norse ekki (“pain, grief”), Norwegian ekkje (“lack, pity”).

    From Wiktionary

  • Probably alteration of Middle English (a) ningkiling (a) hint, suggestion possibly alteration of nikking from nikken to mark a text for correction from nik notch, tally perhaps from variant of Old French niche niche niche

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Advertisement

Inkling Is Also Mentioned In

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to inkling using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

inkling