sleekly

Meanings

1. 1adverb

   In a smooth, shiny, and elegant way, especially of appearance or design.

   Grammar: An adverb, so it usually comes after a verb or before an adjective: 'sleekly designed'.

   Patterns

   • sleekly designed
   • sleekly styled
   • move sleekly

   The new phone is sleekly designed and fits easily in a pocket.

   Her hair fell sleekly down her back after the treatment.

   The car slid sleekly through the wet streets.

2. 2adverbapproving

   In a way that looks polished and confident, often suggesting wealth or good taste.

   Grammar: Used mainly in written descriptions of people, products, or places.

   Patterns

   • sleekly dressed
   • a sleekly furnished room

   The guests arrived sleekly dressed for the charity dinner.

   The lobby was sleekly furnished in glass and steel.

Common combinations

sleekly designed

The laptop is sleekly designed with a thin metal body.

sleekly styled

She wore a sleekly styled black dress.

sleekly dressed

The agents were sleekly dressed in dark suits.

glide sleekly

The boat glided sleekly across the calm lake.

Synonyms and how they differ

smoothly

Smoother and more general; it can describe movement or progress, while sleekly adds an idea of shiny elegance.

elegantly

Focuses on good taste and grace rather than the shiny, streamlined look that sleekly suggests.

stylishly

Emphasizes fashion and current taste, whereas sleekly stresses a clean, uncluttered surface.

Opposites

Word family

sleek adjective

Smooth, shiny, and elegant in appearance.

sleekness noun

The quality of being smooth and elegant in appearance.

Commonly confused: sleekly or slickly?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “sleekly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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