adj
dinky
DIHNG-kee
adj
1
Small in a charming or appealing way.
"They live in a dinky little cottage by the coast."
2
(chiefly disapproving) Small in a way that feels cheap, cramped, or inadequate.
"The apartment turned out to be a dinky studio with barely room for a bed."
How to Use Dinky
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSmall — either cutely small or disappointingly small, depending on tone.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with the acronym DINK (Double Income, No Kids), sometimes spelled the same way in casual writing.
Common pairings
dinky little
dinky car
dinky apartment
Word Forms
dinkier comparative, dinkies plural, dinkies plural, dinkiest superlative
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “dinky”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
They live in a _____ little cottage by the coast.
Etymology
From 18th-century Scots "dink" meaning neat or trim, which drifted in meaning from "dainty" to "small" before gaining the "-y" ending.