Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Smooth and lustrous as if polished; glossy: brushed her hair until it was sleek.
- adj. Well-groomed and neatly tailored.
- adj. Healthy or well-fed; thriving.
- adj. Polished or smooth in manner, especially in an unctuous way; slick.
- v. To make sleek; slick: sleeked his hair with pomade.
- v. To gloss over; conceal.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Smooth; glossy; soft: as, sleek hair; a sleek skin.
- Oily; plausible; insinuating; flattering: as, a sleek rogue; a sleek tongue.
- Dexterous; skilful; neat in execution or action: as, a sleek or slick bowler.
- n. A smooth, shining place or spot. Specifically— A place on the fur or hair of an animal which has been made sleek by licking or the like.
- To make smooth and glossy on the surface: as, to sleek or slick the hair.
- Technically— In currying and leather-dressing, to smooth the surface of (leather) by rubbing with an implement called a slicker.
- In hat-making, to attach (fur) to felt by hand-work.
- To smooth; remove roughness from.
- Figuratively, to calm; soothe.
- To move in a smooth manner; glide; sweep. Compare slike.
- In a sleek or slick manner; with ease and dexterity; neatly; skilfully.
Wiktionary
- adj. Having an even, smooth surface; smooth; hence, glossy; as, sleek hair.
- adj. Not rough or harsh.
- adv. With ease and dexterity.
- v. To make smooth or glossy; to polish or cause to be attractive.
- n. That which makes smooth; varnish.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Having an even, smooth surface; smooth; hence, glossy.
- adj. Not rough or harsh.
- adv. With ease and dexterity.
- n. That which makes smooth; varnish.
- n. A slick.
- v. To make even and smooth; to render smooth, soft, and glossy; to smooth over.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. having a smooth, gleaming surface reflecting light
- adj. well-groomed and neatly tailored; especially too well-groomed
- adj. designed or arranged to offer the least resistant to fluid flow
- v. make slick or smooth
Etymologies
- Variant of slick.
Examples
“It was as thick as his forearm and covered in sleek, fine hair.”
“The group did invest in sleek Apple computers and other technology to help them compete against larger ad agencies.”
From corporation to start-up: Who is going to fix the printer?
“Stephanie: You could have your morning cereal and coffee in sleek, matching Crate and Barrel tablewear.”
The Washington Post: Inglourious (Crafty) Bastards: Highlights from Saturday's fest
“With the advent of the APU, PC makers will expand the market for their products by delivering the vivid, photorealistic, touch-based, 3-D experiences customers increasingly demand -- in sleek form factors with all-day battery life.”
“One way that Apple made the MacBook Air so sleek is by sealing it -- and that could have a "fatal" impact on sales, says tech analyst Roger Kay with Endpoint Technologies Associates.”
“Housed in sleek titanium packaging, this innovative combination of ingredients is found in every product: foundations.?”
“I like my sushi rolls served in sleek plastictubes that look like they are going to be shot through one of those drive through bank teller machines”
“Waiters in sleek black suits zigzagged back and forth among the guests, stopping to dispense smoked salmon on black bread and caviar blinis.”
“By the bar stood a tight clump of people in sleek black clothing with cell phones the size of credit cards.”
“It was unclothed but not naked, for its childlike body was beautifully clothed in short sleek golden fur.”
The Past Through Tomorrow
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘sleek’.
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Weftage
The many textures of touch.
smooth, warty, velvety, sleek, grainy, shaggy, abrasive, scratchy, bumpy, corded, ribbed, roughish and 95 more...
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smoooth
satined, sleek, glossy, legato, uncrannied, suave, smoothen, polish, satiny, flowing, levigate, politic and 77 more...
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words to describe everything GOLD
emotions, reactions, senses, how do we feel when we wear gold, generational, memories,
Sensual, illuminated, history, intricate, classic, bright, luxe, sparkly, splashy, metallic, perfection, gilt and 30 more...
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I am : physical
Describing appearance and physique. More quantitative than qualitative/comparative. Can be used to sum a person up one-wordedly. (Still working on the definition of what I want in this list.)
handsome, beautiful, pretty, comely, ugly, rugged, buxom, buff, chiseled, svelte, lithe, portly and 35 more...
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Pseudo-edge
The middle-aged corporate marketer's version of a teen lexicon.
ultimate, extreme, chillin, totally, bling, karma, stoke, smooth, flav, punch, ish, hype and 43 more...

oroboros Keels in reverse. Nov 2, 2007