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

Racing movies have had a wonky time at the box office, and that’s why there are far and few in between. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 June 2025

The wonky demise of Republicans’ bid to rein in federal judges marks a setback to one facet of Trump’s efforts to broaden executive power. —Ella Lee, The Hill, 25 June 2025

But the post-merger NBA was still just a baby then, and things were wonky for a few years. —Sam Settleman, New York Times, 22 June 2025

After all, those winner-take-all moments have been wonky and unpredictable across the NBA for the last few years. —Shane Young, Forbes.com, 19 May 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