: a person preoccupied with arcane details or procedures in a specialized field
broadly : nerd
a policy wonk
a computer wonk
wonkery noun
wonkish
ˈwäŋ-kish How to pronounce wonk (audio)
ˈwȯŋ-
adjective
wonkishness noun

Examples of wonk in a Sentence

the policy wonks in the government the candidate has an army of policy wonks ready to write for him a position paper on virtually any issue
Recent Examples on the Web At the same time, a growing chorus of policy wonks and public officials, including yours truly, have argued that Americans shouldn’t have to buy a college degree in order to find remunerative employment. Frederick Hess, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024 Instead of adopting an oath of humility, economics has since churned out generations of model-wielding academics and policy wonks. Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak and Paul Swartz, TIME, 31 July 2024 The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 spent most of the first year of its existence in relative obscurity, known primarily by policy wonks. Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 29 July 2024 The surprise price decline is seismic news, at least among econ wonks and a narrow strata of reporters who follow this stuff with the fervor of a tween Swiftie. Allison Morrow, CNN, 12 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for wonk 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wonk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1954, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wonk was in 1954

Dictionary Entries Near wonk

Cite this Entry

“Wonk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wonk. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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