silken
5 synonyms for silken, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adjective — Made of silk, or soft and smooth like silk.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use silken
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
silken hair
silken voice
silken sheets
Etymology
From Middle English silken, selken, seolkene, from Old English seolcen, from seolc (“silk”) + -en, from an unattested early Proto-West Germanic borrowing from Latin sēricum, from Ancient Greek σηρικός (sērikós, “silken”), from σήρ (sḗr, “silkworm”) + -ικός (-ikós, “-ic”). Equivalent to silk + -en (“made of”). Cognate w...
Full origin of silken →Frequently asked questions
What does “silken” mean?
The word “silken” means made of silk, or soft and smooth like silk. In plain terms, smooth and soft like silk, whether describing texture or a person's manner of speaking.
How do you pronounce “silken”?
“Silken” is pronounced SIHL-kuhn (/ˈsɪlkən/ in IPA).
How do you use “silken” in a sentence?
Here is “silken” used in a sentence: “She ran her fingers through his silken hair.”
What part of speech is “silken”?
“Silken” is an adjective.
How many meanings does “silken” have?
“Silken” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: made of silk, or soft and smooth like silk.
