1
as in worthless
having no usefulness
that broken watch you're wearing is junky
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of junky
The boys feel like their stuff is cheap and junky.
—
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 May 2026
Rather than launching a sleek, new encrypted messaging app, Musk dropped an insular, junky extension of his social media platform that happens to include encrypted messaging.
—Reece Rogers, Wired News, 27 Apr. 2026
But those competitors have released junky TikTok clones and slop generators.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
Cheap gifts don’t have to be junky.
—Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 25 Nov. 2025
Just in the past two days, the spicy, junky stuff has come in a bit ( quantum , drones , upstart nuclear power ), helpfully.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2025
The restaurant only has one Formica table in a junky storage area by the drink fountain.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 May 2025
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
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 May 2026
Rather than launching a sleek, new encrypted messaging app, Musk dropped an insular, junky extension of his social media platform that happens to include encrypted messaging.
—Reece Rogers, Wired News, 27 Apr. 2026
But those competitors have released junky TikTok clones and slop generators.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
Cheap gifts don’t have to be junky.
—Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 25 Nov. 2025
Just in the past two days, the spicy, junky stuff has come in a bit ( quantum , drones , upstart nuclear power ), helpfully.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2025
The restaurant only has one Formica table in a junky storage area by the drink fountain.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 May 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for junky
Adjective
-
With devaluation having rendered the mark less than worthless, Germans began circulating dollars among other currencies.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2026
-
That essence of the girl who feels worthless and fears she’ll be found out by everyone still exists in Yasmin in Season 4.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
This momentum reflects rapid advances in both AI and hardware over the past two years, driven by better models and cheaper components.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Dec. 2025
-
More people appear to be walking away from Affordable Care Act coverage or switching to cheaper plans for 2026 compared to this time last year, according to early enrollment data from several states.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
11 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
That day, according to Yadira, immigration agents directed Wilber into an empty interview room.—
Itzel Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
-
If a circle is empty, for example, players must learn to move their hands in the opposite direction to complete that task.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
In 2012, a powerful quake visited terrible damage on the city of Modena, Bottura’s home and host to his restaurant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
The letter writer’s cousin has cancer, and the chemo gives her terrible side effects.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
If poor flowering persists year after year, consider planting a different variety of tomatoes that better suits your climate.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
16 June 2026
-
The only question now is how much of the public's time and money the Mayor is willing to waste to obscure the numerous poor decisions her administration and the County have made for decades.—
Manuel Bojorquez,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
The Canadian Whale Institute said Friday that efforts to find the whale have been unsuccessful and the search has been hampered by bad weather.—
Neal Riley,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
-
This is for the fans who endured the three-worst seasons in Knicks history all inside of a five-year span.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
Consumers previously wrote off Chinese goods as inferior, as Chinese manufacturers prioritized quick market entry over original designs.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
-
Learning how to be the favorite, who plays under the pressure of expectation, instead of how to be the underdog, who plays with the freedom of the unexpected, can make plenty of players vulnerable against an inferior foe at the business end of a tournament.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
The gas Citizens Energy serves customers, typically methane, is naturally odorless so the company adds mercaptan, which smells like sulfur or rotten eggs, to serve as a sentinel in case there's a gas leak.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
10 Dec. 2025
-
Filming Will Smith's TV sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was admittedly a bit of a rotten experience for '90s fitness legend and Stop the Insanity!—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Junky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/junky. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
