1
as in cramps
a painful sudden tightening of a muscle
got a kink in my neck from lying in that awkward position for too long
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in tricks
an odd or peculiar habit
the boss's fondness for nicknames is one of those kinks that staffers just have to put up with
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in whims
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action
whenever he got a kink in his head, he'd drop whatever he was doing to pursue this latest obsession
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of kinks
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Students in the class this semester are redesigning the AI agent to smooth out some kinks, and Ipeirotis plans to use it in all his future classes.
—Jocelyn Gecker, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
There are also some kinks to work out with Orion going forward.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Both are fairly common kinks, but that doesn’t mean people appreciated the way they were presented.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 Apr. 2026
Work out some kinks, focus down.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 13 Apr. 2026
Working through the kinks The Bruins’ offense was on its heels for most of the morning.
—Gabriel Duarte, Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
However, that March run seemed to reflect a team that had finally worked out the kinks.
—Douglas Kezirian, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Boeschler and his team discovered a method to precisely control the movement of kinks using sound waves.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 22 Mar. 2026
Noun
The Marlins started testing this strategy in the minors at the beginning of the 2025 season, working through the kinks before debuting it in the majors in mid-September.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Students in the class this semester are redesigning the AI agent to smooth out some kinks, and Ipeirotis plans to use it in all his future classes.
—Jocelyn Gecker, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
There are also some kinks to work out with Orion going forward.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Both are fairly common kinks, but that doesn’t mean people appreciated the way they were presented.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 Apr. 2026
Work out some kinks, focus down.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 13 Apr. 2026
Working through the kinks The Bruins’ offense was on its heels for most of the morning.
—Gabriel Duarte, Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
However, that March run seemed to reflect a team that had finally worked out the kinks.
—Douglas Kezirian, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Boeschler and his team discovered a method to precisely control the movement of kinks using sound waves.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 22 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kinks
Noun
-
Each tablet contains 200 milligrams of ibuprofen and is one of the best over-the-counter pain relievers for those suffering from conditions such as muscular aches, minor arthritis pain, toothache, backache, menstrual cramps or minor aches.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Reddy told Fox News Digital that salmonella bacteria can only be killed by cooking a raw egg — and the disease's symptoms include diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Davis occasionally destabilizes this very familiar soundtrack with sly production tricks from Horne.—
Emma Madden,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
-
However, deer are adaptable creatures and often get used to the tricks put in their path, eventually ignoring attempts to deter them, Walke says.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The first pitch of a game wouldn’t fall in that category, but Suzuki deferred to his hitter’s whims.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Now is the time for Colorado leaders to push back on this bad decision and fight for a future where disaster declarations are considered on their merits and qualifications, not on the angry whims of one man.—
The Denver Post Editorial Board,
Denver Post,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This is an older home, and some of its charms come with quirks.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Apr. 2026
-
One of his quirks is collecting cologne.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Additionally, curiosity prompts individuals to question assumptions and challenge preconceived notions, thereby reducing the influence of bias in decision-making processes.—
Rebecca Ahmed,
Big Think,
22 Apr. 2026
-
As the Paramount upfront meetings commence, the company appears poised to keep them and is not at present entertaining any notions of returning to the days when CBS held court in front of advertisers at Carnegie Hall.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Dry all surfaces completely and replace knobs, drip pans, and coils back on the stove.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Researchers evaluated and recorded the same 28 characteristics for each species based on preexisting data from universities and government agencies, Nunez-Mir said.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Clean-up operations involve experts who calculate the risk of a criticality accident based on the characteristics of the material being moved, Rofer says.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There were plenty of ordinary and dismissive explanations for what had happened, all related to the vagaries of the brain.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
-
As a result, those close to him have felt that there have been some vagaries around his role within the team since his arrival.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kinks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kinks. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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