What does pinkier mean?
The word is the comparative form of the adjective pink. It describes someone or something that has become more pink in colour, or that is pinker than another person or thing. Typical contexts involve cheeks turning pink after embarrassment, skies becoming pink at sunset, or one shade of paint being selected because it is pinker than another. The comparison may suggest a gradual change, especially in expressions such as “grow pinker” and “turn pinker.” It can also make a direct comparison between two colours or appearances. Like pink itself, the word is common in both British and American English and is neutral in register. The related superlative, pinkest, identifies the member of a group or comparison with the strongest degree of pink colour.
adjectiveComparative of pink: having more pink, or a more strongly pink colour, than something else.
- Having more pink colour than another person or thing.
"Her cheeks turned pinker whenever he mentioned the surprise party."
"The sky became pinker as the sun began to set."
"She painted the small highlight a slightly pinker shade."
English adds a simple suffix to form the comparison: pink, pinker, pinkest.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of pinkier
The word is formed by adding the standard English comparative suffix -er to pink. Pink, in turn, comes through Middle English from the Old English adjective pink, originally meaning “bright” or “red.” The modern colour sense developed during the early modern period. Related Germanic forms include Dutch pink, referring to pink colour, and the now-obsolete English form pink, meaning “pink-coloured.”
How pinkier is actually used
This is the standard comparative form of the adjective pink. It is normally used when comparing two people or things; the superlative is pinkest.