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Meaning & use

silky hair

phrase·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈsɪlki heə/
US/ˈsɪlki her/

Meaning

  1. phraseuncountable

    Hair that is very soft, smooth and shiny.

    Grammar: Hair is uncountable here, so you say silky hair, not silky hairs; use a strand of hair for one piece.

    Patterns

    • have silky hair
    • silky hair falls to somewhere
    • soft, silky hair

    After the treatment, her silky hair fell straight to her shoulders.

    This shampoo promises silky hair in just one wash.

    The little girl had dark, silky hair like her mother's.

Common combinations

long silky hair
He brushed his long silky hair back from his face.
soft and silky
Her hair felt soft and silky after the conditioner.
silky smooth
The model's hair looked silky smooth under the lights.
silky hair falls
Her silky hair fell over one eye as she laughed.

Synonyms and how they differ

glossy
Glossy describes a shiny surface, often of hair or paper, but says nothing about softness.
sleek
Sleek means smooth and neat, usually styled flat and close to the head, whereas silky focuses on softness and shine.
smooth
Smooth is the general word for an even surface; silky adds the idea of softness like silk cloth.

Opposites

roughcoarse

Word family

silk noun
a fine, soft cloth made from threads produced by silkworms
silky adjective
soft, smooth and shiny like silk
silkiness noun
the quality of being soft and smooth like silk

Commonly confused: silky hair or silver?

silky hair vs silver

Silver is a shiny gray metal or its color; silky describes a soft, smooth texture. They sound similar but are unrelated.

Practice

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