kinky

Etymology

It is formed from English kink + -y.^[2][3][4][5] The noun kink, a tight twist in a rope, thread or hair, began as a sailors' word of the late 17th century^[3][6] and is probably from Dutch kink (“twist, twirl”) or the related Middle Low German kinke (“twist in a rope”).^[2][6] Dictionary.com marks kinky as an Americanism.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of hair, growing in tight curls: 1804, in a newspaper from Raleigh, North Carolina.^[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date the adjective, "full of kinks, twisted, curly", to 1844.^[3][7]

Semantic evolution

The general sense "full of sharp twists or curves" followed in 1835.^[2] The figurative noun kink, a mental twist or whim, was first recorded in American English in 1803,^[3] and the adjective took from it the sense "odd, eccentric": 1847 in Green's Dictionary of Slang, 1858 in the OED and 1859 in Etymonline.^[8][2][3] In New England it also meant lively or frisky (1872).^[2] In American criminals' slang it meant dishonest or crooked (1903), especially of a stolen car (1927).^[2][8] The sexual sense, "having or showing unconventional sexual tastes", is recorded from 1916 in a British magazine, originally in British colloquial use,^[2] though Etymonline dates it only to 1959;^[3] its use for clothes that are sexually provocative in an unusual way dates from 1960.^[2] The noun kinky, a person with such tastes, is recorded from 1950.^[2][8]

Timeline

• 1804 – of hair, tightly curled.^[2]
• 1835 – full of sharp twists or curves.^[2]
• 1837 – noun, a person with tightly curled hair.^[2]
• 1847 – of people, odd, eccentric.^[8]
• 1872 – lively, frisky (New England).^[2]
• 1903 – dishonest, crooked (criminals' slang).^[2]
• 1916 – having unconventional sexual tastes.^[2]
• 1927 – of a car, stolen.^[2][8]
• 1950 – noun, a sexually unconventional person.^[2]
• 1960 – of clothing, provocative in an unconventional way.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Having or full of kinks; tightly twisted or curled: kinky wire.^[7][9][10]
2. Relating to or appealing to unusual or deviant sexual tastes: a kinky novel.^[7][9][10]
3. Strange or eccentric in personality; quirky.^[10][4]
4. Attractive or provocative in an odd way, especially of clothing.^[10][2]
5. (US) Lively or spirited, of a horse.^[7][2]
6. (US slang) Crooked or dishonest.^[7][2]

Noun

1. (slang) A person with unconventional sexual tastes.^[2][8]
2. (US slang, dated) A stolen car.^[2][8]

Word family

• kinkily
• kinkiness

Related words

• kink

Usage notes

The noun use for a person with tightly curled hair, and specifically for a black person, recorded from 1837, is derogatory and offensive.^[2][8]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ a b c d e f g h Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
9. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
10. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins