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

Between the lines: Mayors have long used bond issues for city maintenance, but part of the fight here — and this gets a little wonky — is about the type of bond and how it's repaid. —Monica Eng, Axios, 26 Feb. 2025

Unlike Gundam, which has many games (most of which can be rather underwhelming), Cowboy Bebop has only two to date: a weird shmup on the PSone and a functionally wonky action game on the PlayStation 2. —Ollie Barder, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025

The foundation has centered its opposition on the wonky economic process of measuring how much climate damages that are realized decades from now should be worth today. —Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 21 Feb. 2025

Most of them use relatively simple point-to-point wiring, tubes, and transistors—all of which can be repaired if something goes wonky. —Parker Hall, WIRED, 2 Feb. 2025

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