wonky

1 of 2

adjective (1)

ˈwäŋ-kē 

ˈwȯŋ-

wonkier; wonkiest

US

: characteristic of, relating to, or suggestive of a wonk: such as

a

: preoccupied with arcane details or procedures in a specialized field

She can get wonky about the economy when she wants to, but what sets her apart is her ability to tell a coherent, populist story about it in a way that other members of her party are either unwilling or unable to do.

—Rebecca Traister

b

: used by or appealing to wonks

… one of those politicians who actually find pleasure in the often-wonky details of public policy.

—John Powers

wonkiness noun

wonky

2 of 2

adjective (2)

won·​ky ˈwäŋ-kē 

wonkier; wonkiest

1

British : unsteady, shaky

2

chiefly British : awry, wrong

Examples of wonky in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Calgary also benefited from a pair of wonky bounces that bookended its scoring. —Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 8 Jan. 2025

Could the Ravens find themselves in some wonky wild-card territory by dropping Saturday’s finale? —Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025

In: 🤔 Inside baseball Look, building a new Rays stadium with public money was never going to be simple, but the recent twists and turns have left even the wonkiest among us struggling to see the endgame. —Yacob Reyes, Axios, 6 Jan. 2025

Because of wonky procedural issues, the House would not be able to take up the three-prong strategy until after midnight — the time when a government shutdown would start. —Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (2)

probably alteration of English dialect wankle, from Middle English wankel, from Old English wancol; akin to Old High German wankōn to totter — more at wench

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

1978, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (2)

1918, in the meaning defined at sense 1