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

That notion — well worn in American politics — appears throughout the Project 2025 plan, a wonky, 900-plus-page manifesto released last year by conservative thought leaders and Trump acolytes. —Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2024

For the past two years, shortcomings in generative-AI products—hallucinations; slow, wonky interfaces; stilted prose; images that showed too many teeth or couldn’t render fingers; chatbots going rogue—have been dismissed by AI companies as kinks that will eventually be worked out. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 12 July 2024

For my first half marathon, this pair got me and my wonky knees through training and race day. —Krista Simmons, Sunset Magazine, 5 July 2024

From wonky Mastodon to edgy Bluesky, Twitter refugees tried — and mostly discarded — a series of upstart alternatives. —Naomi Nix, Washington Post, 3 July 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