as in nerd
a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits
the candidate has an army of policy wonks ready to write for him a position paper on virtually any issue
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 wonk
This is all classic Spanberger, who's long cultivated a reputation as a moderate policy wonk focused on issues like fentanyl overdoses, veterans, and agriculture.
—
Margaret Barthel, NPR, 17 June 2025
In recent years, wonks in both parties have begun to focus on government inefficiency as a problem.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
Budget wonks have cited challenges in estimating the long-term effects of a policy that Trump has repeatedly altered and delayed at rates ranging from 10% to 50%.
—Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 11 June 2025
Actually using tariffs to finance a big chunk of the federal government would be a painful and perilous undertaking, budget wonks say.
—Arkansas Online, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wonk
Margaret Barthel, NPR, 17 June 2025
In recent years, wonks in both parties have begun to focus on government inefficiency as a problem.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
Budget wonks have cited challenges in estimating the long-term effects of a policy that Trump has repeatedly altered and delayed at rates ranging from 10% to 50%.
—Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 11 June 2025
Actually using tariffs to finance a big chunk of the federal government would be a painful and perilous undertaking, budget wonks say.
—Arkansas Online, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wonk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wonk
Noun
-
Superman and Lex Luthor have technically had a child together for decades in the comics, but as many a gay nerd has joked on the internet this year, Nicholas Hoult’s Lex finally seems like a Lex who would baby-trap Superman.—
James Factora,
Them.,
17 Oct. 2025
-
That bourbon, like all subsequent releases, was aged at Camp Nelson, a warehouse site located a few minutes from the distillery that is legendary (among whiskey nerds, at least) for the quality of the bourbon that comes from there.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In the 1990s, the internet boom created overnight fortunes along with unforeseen challenges for some tech geeks and impresarios who founded wildly successful dot-coms.—
Christina Binkley,
Robb Report,
11 Oct. 2025
-
If Substack creators can make a living on affiliate links, why not music geeks?—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wonk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wonk. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share