adj
blinky
BLIHNG-kee
Blinky (adj) means blinking frequently, or (of lights) flickering on and off. Example: “The old television had a blinky, unreliable power light.”
adj
1
Blinking frequently, or (of lights) flickering on and off.
"The old television had a blinky, unreliable power light."
2
Slightly sour, used of milk that is starting to turn.
"The milk smelled a little blinky, so she poured it out."
"No proper place for cooling milk in summer meant not only blinky milk unfit to drink, but no sweet cream for the cream jug that most of them had, and neither good butter nor buttermilk could come from milk not properly cooled."
— Harriette Simpson Arnow, Seedtime on the Cumberland (1960)
"I mean really, who needs a date stamped on the jug to tell you when milk has gone bad? It’s got a built-in warning system. First, you get that little whang in the taste. It’s gone blinky. Time to think about getting more."
— Steve Blow, Beward of toxic milk — and other expiration-date silliness (2013)
How to use blinky
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishFlickery or prone to blinking; also an informal word for milk that has just started to turn sour.
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Word forms
- Plural
- blinkies
- Comparative
- more blinky
- Superlative
- most blinky
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The old television had a _____, unreliable power light.
Etymology
From blink plus the adjective suffix -y.
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Rhymes for blinky
See all rhymes for blinky →Frequently asked questions
What does “blinky” mean?
The word “blinky” means blinking frequently, or (of lights) flickering on and off. In plain terms, flickery or prone to blinking; also an informal word for milk that has just started to turn sour.
How do you pronounce “blinky”?
“Blinky” is pronounced BLIHNG-kee (/ˈblɪŋki/ in IPA).
How do you use “blinky” in a sentence?
Here is “blinky” used in a sentence: “The old television had a blinky, unreliable power light.”
What part of speech is “blinky”?
“Blinky” is an adjective.
How many meanings does “blinky” have?
“Blinky” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: blinking frequently, or (of lights) flickering on and off.
