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

Survivor 43 Seasons 41 and 42 featured really dynamic casts and some really wonky production wrinkles. —Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2024

That math can get wonky, but the view on Wall Street is that the Fed is highly likely to cut rates again next week if inflation comes in at or below expectations in those two reports. —Jesse Pound, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2024

Some were under the impression that their metrics were wonky, even suspecting that AI had hallucinated some of the data. —Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024

Georgie is the only other baker who does a good job, and her meringues are as wonky as lipstick put on in a moving vehicle. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 8 Nov. 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