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

Your pee may go all wonky too: A UTI can cause urine to be cloudy, strong-smelling, or even bloody. —Korin Miller, SELF, 17 Mar. 2025

There were jokes that few people outside that wonky room might understand, such as when Terry McAuliffe, the former Virginia governor, made a reference to the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a nonpartisan think tank. —Shawn McCreesh, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2025

In their day jobs, as columnists and podcasters who began their careers online, Klein and Thompson have advanced a wonky tendency in political journalism: an interest in the details about how government programs work. —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025

Landeskog is still battling, against a wonky knee and against time. —Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 2 Mar. 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