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inky

inky

14 2.8
Very dark in color like black ink
  • adjective
  • /ˈɪŋki/
translation icon : negro
  • In visible light, it is simply an inky black, empty void in space.
  • inky black
  • inky darkness
  • inky sky

Examples

  • I am looking up into the inky twilight, and it is as if I am in another land.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • This sitter's eyes are dark, inky, almost black.

  • My light was out, so all I could see was an inky oval shape the size of a football.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The line of dust and compressed atmosphere to the west stretched inky black and very close.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The inky sky, the beams of yellow sunlight, the crackling bolts of lightning, and the wild sea.

  • Dex Trumball was driving slowly through the inky blackness of the Martian night.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • An undulating inky-black void three meters wide and tall, convulsing like a manic amoeba.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The cabin was remote, the lake water inky black and freezing cold.

  • The inky sky reflected the deep darkness of the ocean below.

Synonyms

black
vsinky
1.0

Very dark in color like coal or the night

is narrower, stressing resemblance to liquid writing pigment rather than general absence of light
jet-black
vsinky
3 3.9

Very black like coal or a dark night

is similar but emphasizes likeness to liquid writing pigment rather than mineral shine
jet black
vsinky
1 2.8

A very dark colour like shiny coal

is similar but compares darkness to liquid writing pigment rather than a mineral
dark-colored
vsinky
  • US
1 1.3

Having a dark shade, like deep blue or black

is a specific very dark shade likened to liquid writing pigment rather than any dark tone
inky-black
vsinky
1 3.3

Very dark like black ink

is defined by likeness to liquid writing pigment rather than general darkness
ink-black
vsinky
1 3.2

Very dark black like raven feathers in the sun

is about very dark color likened to liquid writing pigment rather than broader dark tones
gray-black
vsinky
  • US
1 3.1

A dark color that is black with a little grey

is a truer deep shade without the grey mixture, like liquid writing pigment
brown-black
vsinky
1 3.2

A very dark brown color with a hint of black

is purer and lacks the brown tint, matching liquid writing pigment darkness
sooty-black
vsinky
4.7

Very deep black like soot

is similar in depth but highlights likeness to liquid writing pigment not residue
ebon
vsinky
  • Literature
9.9

Very deep black in color

is a plain sensory description focusing on ink likeness rather than poetic tone
atramentous
vsinky
  • Archaic
9.9

Very dark, almost black, in color or very sad and gloomy

focuses only on the visual very dark color, not mood or gloom
3.4

A very dark color that looks slightly purple

is purer dark without the purple hue, matching liquid writing pigment
grayish-black
vsinky
  • US
3.2

A very dark color that looks like black with a little grey

is a stronger, pure dark tone rather than faintly grey

Antonyms

291 1.0

Has very light color and often looks sick or afraid

90 1.0

Pale in colour or clear in sound

Compounds

1 3.3

Very dark like black ink

9.3

A mushroom whose cap turns into a black liquid after it drops its spores

A mushroom whose cap turns into black ink when it gets old

How Dark

pitch-black
8 3.4
inky-black
1 3.3
inky
14 2.8
dark
1.0
dusky
3 5.4

Surface Forms

inky positive

Morphology

inky = ink (transparent) = ink + y

Productive adjectival formation from the noun 'ink' with the suffix '-y' meaning 'characterized by or like ink', which is clearly inferable.

Etymology

The word inky comes from the common word ink and the ending -y, which means 'full of' or 'like'. So inky means 'like ink' and is used for things that are very dark or black, which makes it easy to remember.