Definitions Related words Phrases Mentions Lyrics History Colors (New!) Easter eggs (New!)

Literary notes about slink (AI summary)

The term “slink” in literature typically conveys a movement marked by stealth, deference, or even disgrace. Authors use it to describe actions ranging from the furtive retreat of a character unwilling to face consequences—as when someone “slinks away” to avoid reproach ([1], [2])—to the subtle, almost animal-like motion of a creature moving with quiet caution ([3], [4]). In some works, it emphasizes a fading presence or diminished pride, as a way of expressing both physical and emotional withdrawal, whether it be the self-conscious evasion of responsibility or a deliberate, shameful disappearance ([5], [6]). This choice of verb thus carries a multi-layered significance that enriches the narrative by suggesting both literal and metaphorical retreat.
  1. “I’m disgusted with the men up here—they’re all tiresome except Landon—but I hate to slink away, and besides, the country is glorious.
    — from The Forester's Daughter: A Romance of the Bear-Tooth Range by Hamlin Garland
  2. He would slink off before Jim’s severe gaze, before my own, which I tried to make indifferent, even before Tamb’ Itam’s surly, superior glance.
    — from Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
  3. Far away I saw a gaunt cat slink crouchingly along a wall, but traces of men there were none.
    — from The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
  4. And one day I heard the back door shut As I entered the front, and I saw him slink Back of the smokehouse into the lot And run across the field.
    — from Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters
  5. You give yourself a lofty air, Your throne an ill-used father’s knee— Now worry fly, slink off dull care, I have my girl, and she has me .
    — from Heart Songs by Jean Blewett
  6. I did not slink away through cowardice, but through an unbounded vanity.
    — from Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

More usage examples

Also see: Google, News, Images, Wikipedia, Reddit, BlueSky


Home   Reverse Dictionary / Thesaurus   Datamuse   Word games   Spruce   Feedback   Dark mode   Random word   Help


Color thesaurus

Use OneLook to find colors for words and words for colors

See an example

Literary notes

Use OneLook to learn how words are used by great writers

See an example

Word games

Try our innovative vocabulary games

Play Now

Read the latest OneLook newsletter issue: Threepeat Redux