WINKING Synonyms: 123 Similar and Opposite Words

winking 1 of 2

adjective

as in glancing

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Dissimilar Words

winking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of wink

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

as in twinkling

to shine with light at regular intervals a lighthouse was winking in the distance

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in gleaming

to shoot forth bursts of light fireflies winking in the darkness beyond our campfire

Synonyms & Similar Words

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. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of winking

Verb

The film’s mix of musical swagger, YA melodrama, and winking world-building hit a nerve, turning its core cast into fixtures for a generation that grew up streaming the soundtrack on a loop. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 25 July 2026 For Lin, part of her goal in posting her surveillance selfies was a winking subversion of the all-seeing state. — T.m. Brown, CNN Money, 18 July 2026 Orbital mirrors flashing and winking back to Earth could distract airline pilots. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 14 July 2026 The sign-off was seemingly a winking allusion to Get Behind Me Satan, White’s 2005 album with the White Stripes. — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for winking

Adjective

These gentler, more glancing interactions often result in a merger, too.

— Phil Plait, Scientific American, 22 May 2026
Glaser, from a very glancing stylistic consideration, looks like a multicam by comparison.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2024

Definition of glancing

Verb

To help prevent wrinkles from forming around your eyes naturally, Zeichner recommends wearing sunglasses in the sun, as well as regular glasses to prevent squinting.

— Daley Quinn, Glamour, 9 July 2026
No more squinting at raw tape and praying for a basketball IQ transplant.

— Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 24 June 2026

Definition of squinting

Verb

That night, rather than looking at the twinkling wind instruments on the stage, he was captivated by the view of the father and daughter in front of him.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
The man from Bethlehem Lights is here to present his pre-lit trees, stately faux spruces twinkling with proprietary Color Prism illumination technology, 81 color and light combinations, the best time to purchase is now.

— Hannah Engler Harvey, Longreads, 30 July 2026

Definition of twinkling

Verb

Gritting her teeth in the final few hundred meters, the Polish rider dug deep and with the sun gleaming behind her, raised her arms after crossing the line.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
The pitch is reinforced by the document’s anime-style cover, which depicts a smiling family in a gleaming cityscape rather than the troops, weapons and military insignia featured on many previous editions.

— Reuters, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of gleaming

Verb

But that didn’t stop him from taping interviews on Wednesday with various Chicago television newscasts from his downtown Chicago state office while ignoring follow-up requests from the Tribune.

— Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026
Adding on to this trend, 70% of employees avoid difficult conversations entirely, and 53% handle toxic situations by ignoring them.

— Jason Walker PsyD, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of ignoring

Verb

Muluk Spa is relatively compact with serene treatment rooms illuminated by flickering candle-like lights.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Aug. 2026
Their disparate sonic elements form a dissonant but cohesive whole, wisps of trumpet and electronic woodwinds flashing by as quickly as flickering subway car lights.

— Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 23 July 2026

Definition of flickering

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“Winking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winking. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of winking

adjective

verb

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