Meaning & use
silky
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Soft, smooth, and slightly shiny, like silk to touch or see.
Grammar: Gradable: silkier, silkiest. It often comes before a noun or after linking verbs.
Patterns
- silky hair
- silky fabric
- feel silky
The conditioner left her hair soft and silky.
The dress was made from a silky blue material.
The cat's fur felt silky under my hand.
adjectivecomparablefigurativeapproving
Pleasantly smooth in sound, movement, or manner.
Grammar: Figurative and often approving: a silky voice. It still compares: silkier, silkiest.
Patterns
- silky voice
- silky smooth
- silky manner
The singer had a low, silky voice that filled the hall.
He moved with silky control across the dance floor.
Her apology was silky, but I still felt uneasy.
Word forms
| comparative | silkier |
|---|---|
| superlative | silkiest |
Common combinations
- silky hair
- She wanted shampoo that would give her silky hair.
- silky smooth
- The jazz guitarist produced a silky smooth solo.
- silky fabric
- The scarf felt like silky fabric against her neck.
- silky voice
- A silky voice announced the flight delay.
Synonyms and how they differ
- smooth
- General word; silky adds a richer, softer, shinier quality.
- sleek
- Suggests glossy neatness in hair, fur, design, or cars.
- velvety
- Emphasizes deep softness rather than shine.
- silken
- More literary and often describes beauty, voice, or hair.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: silky or slick? silky or silly?
silky vs slick
Slick can mean very smooth, but may imply slipperiness or insincerity; silky is usually pleasing.
silky vs silly
Different vowel and meaning; spelling is close but pronunciation differs.
Practice
Which sentence uses silky correctly?
Choose one answer.
Silky describes smooth pleasant sound, movement, touch, or appearance. Ice is slick or dangerous, not pleasantly silky; wrong answers and sandwiches do not take silky.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “silky”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.