Synonyms of junk

junk 1 of 2

noun

ˈjəŋk 

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

• cheese
• rubbish
• trash
• muck
• camp
• tripe
• drek
• lemon
• bomb
• nonsense
• crapola
• dreck
• mess
• sleaze
• slop
• slush
• kitsch
• claptrap
• turkey
• humbug
• stinker
• clinker
• clunker
• dud
• shambles
• muddle

2

as in garbage

discarded or useless material

junk on the side of the road waiting for the trash collection

Synonyms & Similar Words

• garbage
• debris
• trash
• rubbish
• dust
• truck
• litter
• sewage
• rubble
• waste
• dross
• offal
• scrap
• effluvia
• deadwood
• chaff
• refuse
• drek
• dreck
• wreckage
• raffle
• effluvium
• riffraff
• lumber
• ruins
• detritus
• spilth
• crud
• wash
• offscouring
• dump
• swill
• flotsam
• scrap heap
• remains
• discard
• trumpery
• slop
• jetsam
• castoff
• nothing
• straw
• reject
• throwaway
• odds and ends
• cull
• two bits
• hand-me-down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• treasure
• trove
• prize
• pearl
• gem
• plum
• treasure trove
• jewel
• catch
• find
• goodie
• salvage
• booty
• goody
• valuable

junk

2 of 2

verb

as in to dump

to get rid of as useless or unwanted

we'll have to junk this old car

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dump
• discard
• unload
• ditch
• scrap
• lose
• shed
• abandon
• reject
• chuck
• remove
• toss
• jettison
• set aside
• throw away
• exorcize
• cast (off)
• slough (off)
• exorcise
• shuck (off)
• fling (off or away)
• sluff (off)
• eliminate
• throw out
• lay by
• dispose of
• deep-six
• dismiss
• eighty-six
• cashier
• 86
• desert
• forsake
• pitch
• abdicate
• abolish
• kick out
• eradicate
• wipe out
• expunge
• exterminate
• extirpate
• liquidate
• stamp (out)
• annihilate
• extinguish
• root (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• use
• adopt
• take on
• embrace
• utilize
• employ
• keep
• hold
• retain
• hold back

Synonym Chooser

How is the word junk different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of junk are cast, discard, scrap, shed, and slough. While all these words mean "to get rid of," scrap and junk imply throwing away or breaking up as worthless in existent form.

scrap all the old ways

would junk our educational system

When is it sensible to use cast instead of junk?

The meanings of cast and junk largely overlap; however, cast, especially when used with off, away, or out, implies a forceful rejection or repudiation.

cast off her friends

Where would discard be a reasonable alternative to junk?

Although the words discard and junk have much in common, discard implies the letting go or throwing away of something that has become useless or superfluous though often not intrinsically valueless.

discard old clothes

How do shed and slough relate to one another, in the sense of junk?

Shed and slough imply a throwing off of something both useless and encumbering and often suggest a consequent renewal of vitality or luster.

shed a bad habit

finally sloughed off the depression

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of junk

Noun

Limiting the number of satellites could prevent space junk, protect the satellites already in orbit and allow everyone to have a clear view of the night sky. —Tony Milligan, Space.com, 3 Aug. 2025

The new research, published in Science Advances, claims that this previously dismissed genetic junk plays a crucial role in regulating gene expression. —Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 24 July 2025

Verb

There are worse things that can be done to good government than junking Humphrey’s Executor, and Trump is busily engaged in many of them. —Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 29 May 2025

Image This was certainly not the first museum to junk the hushed autonomy of the white cube for the allures of tourism, commerce, events and multimedia. —Jason Farago, New York Times, 8 May 2025

Video

Some Odd Words with ISMO: "Junk in the Trunk"

Comedian ISMO on what separates a boot from a trunk