Standard Lemma guide

kinky

adj · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈkɪŋki/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪŋki
  • CMU ARPABET: K IH1 NG K IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Full of kinks; liable to kink or curl.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • kinky hair

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior, as fetishism, sadomasochism, and other sexual practices.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: normophilic

3

adj

Meaning 3

Queer; eccentric; crotchety.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

informal terms; strikingly unconventional

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: far-out, offbeat, quirky, way-out

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

(of hair) in small tight curls

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crisp, frizzly, frizzy, nappy

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

(used of sexual behavior) showing or appealing to bizarre or deviant tastes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • kinky sex
  • perverted practices

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: perverted

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From kink + -y. Compare Spanish canquiñi (“nappy”).

Across languages

Translations

72 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: извит (izvit) — full of kinks
  • Bulgarian: с чупки (s čupki) — full of kinks
  • Catalan: cresp — full of kinks
  • Dutch: krullig — full of kinks
  • Finnish: sykkyräinen — full of kinks
  • Finnish: sykeröinen — full of kinks
  • Finnish: säkkärä — full of kinks
  • French: bouclé — full of kinks
  • French: crépu — full of kinks
  • Georgian: ხუჭუჭა (xuč̣uč̣a) — full of kinks
  • Georgian: გრუზა (gruza) — full of kinks
  • German: kraus — full of kinks
  • Haitian Creole: grenn — full of kinks
  • Hungarian: göndör — full of kinks
  • Hungarian: csomós — full of kinks
  • Latin: cincinnātus — full of kinks
  • Māori: koromeke — full of kinks
  • Polish: zboczony — full of kinks
  • Portuguese: enrolado — full of kinks
  • Romanian: zulufat — full of kinks
  • Romanian: cârlionțat — full of kinks
  • Romanian: creț — full of kinks
  • Romanian: buclat — full of kinks
  • Romanian: ondulat — full of kinks
  • Russian: кудря́вый (kudrjávyj) — full of kinks
  • Russian: кучеря́вый (kučerjávyj) — full of kinks
  • Russian: курча́вый (kurčávyj) — full of kinks
  • Spanish: crespo — full of kinks
  • Spanish: ensortijado — full of kinks
  • Spanish: rizado — full of kinks
  • Bulgarian: извратен (izvraten) — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Catalan: depravat — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Catalan: pervertit — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Dutch: kinky — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • French: kinky — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • French: pervers — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Georgian: გარყვნილი (garq̇vnili) — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • German: pervers — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • German: verdreht — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • German: sexy — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Hungarian: perverz — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Hungarian: szexéhes — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Hungarian: szexuálisan deviáns — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Hungarian: ferde hajlamú — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Italian: pervertito — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Navajo: tʼáá ádíláahgo naanéhígíí — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Norwegian: kinky — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Portuguese: pervertido — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Romanian: pervers — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Russian: извращённый (izvraščónnyj) — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Russian: ненорма́льный (nenormálʹnyj) — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Spanish: pervertido — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Spanish: fetichista — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Swedish: kinky — marked by unconventional sexual preferences or behavior
  • Bulgarian: странен (stranen) — queer, eccentric
  • Bulgarian: ексцентричен (ekscentričen) — queer, eccentric
  • Esperanto: ekstravaganca — queer, eccentric
  • Finnish: outo — queer, eccentric
  • Finnish: omituinen — queer, eccentric
  • French: excentrique — queer, eccentric
  • Georgian: თავისებური (taviseburi) — queer, eccentric
  • Georgian: ექსცენტრიული (ekscenṭriuli) — queer, eccentric
  • Hungarian: hóbortos — queer, eccentric
  • Hungarian: bogaras — queer, eccentric
  • Italian: eccentrico — queer, eccentric
  • Romanian: bizar — queer, eccentric
  • Romanian: extravagant — queer, eccentric
  • Romanian: excentric — queer, eccentric
  • Russian: эксцентри́чный (ekscentríčnyj) — queer, eccentric
  • Russian: своеобра́зный (svojeobráznyj) — queer, eccentric
  • Spanish: extraño — queer, eccentric
  • Spanish: excéntrico — queer, eccentric
Real reading context

kinky in complete knowledge articles