1
as in cheese
that which is of low quality or worth
couldn't believe that such junk was chosen to be read for the book club my car is junk—it spends more time in the shop than on the road
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in garbage
discarded or useless material
junk on the side of the road waiting for the trash collection
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to dump
to get rid of as useless or unwanted
we'll have to junk this old car
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in worthless
having no usefulness
that broken watch you're wearing is junky
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cheap
of low quality
a junky coat that is sure to fall apart after one winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of junk
NPR, 21 Oct. 2025
Tens of thousands of pieces of space junk — and millions more smaller bits of orbital debris — are cluttered in low Earth orbit, the narrow band of space where many telecommunications and GPS satellites circle the planet.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2025
Keith Law, New York Times, 31 July 2025
Streaming’s surge is powered by younger consumers who have junked the TV habit or never picked it up in the first place.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 June 2025
Jason Bailey, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Windows Search includes a bunch of extra graphics and junky newsfeed items and apps by default.
—Ars Technica, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for junk
Noun
And Doctorow asserts Amazon began charging merchants junk fees.
—NPR, 21 Oct. 2025
Tens of thousands of pieces of space junk — and millions more smaller bits of orbital debris — are cluttered in low Earth orbit, the narrow band of space where many telecommunications and GPS satellites circle the planet.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
His command has improved, and he’s gone from getting lit up against lefties to passable by junking his split-change, using a different grip for a true changeup to give him a viable option against left-handed hitters.
—Keith Law, New York Times, 31 July 2025
Streaming’s surge is powered by younger consumers who have junked the TV habit or never picked it up in the first place.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 June 2025
Adjective
Blomkamp can’t quite recapture the explosive propulsion of his debut feature, but Damon is a sturdy hero, and the director creates a convincingly junky future.
—Jason Bailey, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Windows Search includes a bunch of extra graphics and junky newsfeed items and apps by default.
—Ars Technica, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for junk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for junk
Noun
-
The healthy-dose of cheese in this recipe will convert even the most ardent broccoli hater.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Turkey meal includes mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, broccoli salad; ham meal includes mac and cheese, turnip greens, broccoli salad, hashbrown casserole.—
Gege Reed,
Louisville Courier Journal,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The burger was never refrigerated and spent most of its life in cupboards, garbage bags and sheds.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Beijing — When Ho Puay-peng first visited Beijing’s Forbidden City in the late 1980s, the Singaporean architect saw many of the historic courtyards used for storage, filled with garbage, and occupied by danwei (government offices).—
Fred He,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Somewhere beyond the brush, two frightened dogs — caught on video being dumped and abandoned — were still waiting, as if the person who left them might return.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Drone footage showed catastrophic flooding that turned streets into rivers, submerged homes and overturned cars as Typhoon Kalmaegi, known locally as Tino, dumped more than a month’s worth of rain in only 24 hours in some areas.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
They are also known to trick miners into quarrying worthless ore, following veins of what appears to be copper or silver, but when smelted, is found to be without value or, worse, poisonous.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Should the stock rise, the option expires worthless, and the investor keeps the premium.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Chinese retailer, known for its range of cheap ultra-fast-fashion clothing and criticisms of its labor and environmental practices, is nestled on the sixth floor of a more than century-old building in Paris, a city famous for high-end fashion and a recent green push.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The other side of this has been the money in the industry’s pivot first to cheaper talk shows, which don’t innovate enough to merit much critique, and now to a second pivot to turn those interview shows into video series, which makes podcasts more friendly on TikTok and Instagram and YouTube.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
When firefighters arrived at the scene, multiple cars and piles of rubbish were on fire.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
One hurdle for these editors is that far-right hate is more conducive to digital slop, both because algorithms prize outlandish ragebait and because the tribalistic ideas themselves are low IQ rubbish.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Gas and dust fall into a rotating disk around the black hole, and as the debris spirals more rapidly, it becomes superheated, releasing intense radiation.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Reserve the smooth strained mixture and discard any solids.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Health inspectors cite the bagel shop after the half-and-half at the customer self-service counter was not discarded at the appropriate time.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Video
Some Odd Words with ISMO: "Junk in the Trunk"
Comedian ISMO on what separates a boot from a trunk
Cite this Entry
“Junk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/junk. Accessed 21 Dec. 2025.
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