as in glancing
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in squinting
to rapidly open and close one's eyes
she winked several times to get the dust and grit out of her eyes
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in twinkling
to shine with light at regular intervals
a lighthouse was winking in the distance
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in gleaming
to shoot forth bursts of light
fireflies winking in the darkness beyond our campfire
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in ignoring
to secretly sympathize with or pretend ignorance of something improper or unlawful
the whole sporting world seems to wink as untold sums are bet on the outcome of the Super Bowl
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of winking
Jon Wertheim,
CBS News,
28 June 2026
The show ushered in a new era of winking, elbow-jabbing meta-musicals.
—
Manohla Dargis,
New York Times,
26 June 2026
His drawling, winking charm is front and center, and his attraction to our heroine feels both genuine and even quite protective, but his violent streak is so blasé as to be unnerving.
—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
7 June 2026
Chapin, the mechanic on the Shawmut crew, was a wiry 6-footer with a winking sense of humor and a penchant for machine-shop patter peppered with gleeful profanity, a likable 26-year-old who’d been a reliable factory hand and test driver before the fire.
—
Eric Moskowitz,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
The novel’s omniscient narrator can barely conceal their exasperation, relaying key details like place and time with a winking mix of hostility and resignation.
—
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
The scents come in glass bottles with a retro appeal and details winking to the house’s couture tradition, such as the metal logo intertwining with a safety pin and a vintage-looking pear pump sprayer adorned with the fabrics of the ateliers.
—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
20 May 2026
Jim tests positive and, much to his horror, sees his abs winking out of existence one by one.
—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
But the setting isn’t, say, a fairy tale village or a mermaid kingdom under the sea, to point at two Disney classics the film gives winking reference to.
—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
15 May 2026
Verb
Two guys at the golf course are winking, and whispering, and tipping each other off.
—
Jon Wertheim,
CBS News,
28 June 2026
The show ushered in a new era of winking, elbow-jabbing meta-musicals.
—
Manohla Dargis,
New York Times,
26 June 2026
His drawling, winking charm is front and center, and his attraction to our heroine feels both genuine and even quite protective, but his violent streak is so blasé as to be unnerving.
—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
7 June 2026
Chapin, the mechanic on the Shawmut crew, was a wiry 6-footer with a winking sense of humor and a penchant for machine-shop patter peppered with gleeful profanity, a likable 26-year-old who’d been a reliable factory hand and test driver before the fire.
—
Eric Moskowitz,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
The novel’s omniscient narrator can barely conceal their exasperation, relaying key details like place and time with a winking mix of hostility and resignation.
—
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
The scents come in glass bottles with a retro appeal and details winking to the house’s couture tradition, such as the metal logo intertwining with a safety pin and a vintage-looking pear pump sprayer adorned with the fabrics of the ateliers.
—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
20 May 2026
Jim tests positive and, much to his horror, sees his abs winking out of existence one by one.
—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
But the setting isn’t, say, a fairy tale village or a mermaid kingdom under the sea, to point at two Disney classics the film gives winking reference to.
—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winking
Adjective
-
These gentler, more glancing interactions often result in a merger, too.
-
Glaser, from a very glancing stylistic consideration, looks like a multicam by comparison.
Verb
-
No more squinting at raw tape and praying for a basketball IQ transplant.
-
Tired of squinting at your dim, blurry TV?
Verb
-
As the firework began to wane after well over a minute, zigzagging streaks of light spread into a canopy of twinkling flashes that resembled stars.
-
The collection features shades of purple and lavender, symbolizing the signature twilight sky after the sun sets on those long summer days at the park and the fireworks begin, twinkling like pixie dust above the castle.
Verb
-
There was one American flag sign lit, with some storefront decor gleaming red, white and blue, but the heat seemingly scared most away from celebrating July 4 before Saturday's big day.
-
Experiential businesses are the gleaming gemstones within the consumer discretionary bucket.
Verb
-
Make Participation Effortless Reduce friction to the point where using it feels like less effort than ignoring it.
-
For example, today, Americans might believe that the demands of racial equity or of evangelical Christianity are so pressing that executive power would be justified in ignoring the legislature or the judiciary to serve them.
Adjective
-
Its primary food source is the winter firefly (Diaphanes lampyroides), which attracts mates with a continuous, non-flashing light.
Verb
-
Mounted atop the temporary wall were two sets of traffic lights, a pair of side-by-side green lights (currently off) and a set of red lights, now blinking.
-
There’s a blinking red light in the top corner of your room, and that’s one of the cameras Ben uses to watch you.
Verb
-
Bolex camera, which accounts for both the lightly flickering grain of the images and the short duration of every shot.
-
Vermeer’s pictures are often observed to harbor spiritual meanings as well as material ones, flickering back and forth between the two.
Cite this Entry
“Winking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winking. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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