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
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Recent Examples of wonk
Rafters, ranchers, anglers, hydrologists, energy wonks, and government officials have coordinated in the past to keep water in the river.
—
Pete McBride, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Elsewhere in the world, perhaps such a technical-sounding government decision would fall to the domain of data wonks and financial consultants.
—Isabel Debre, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
The story skips over Ella’s rise from political wonk to lieutenant governor in the office of Albert Brooks’ avuncular Governor Bill.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Dec. 2025
Some industry insiders and policy wonks will say the public needs a few economics lessons.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wonk
Pete McBride, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Elsewhere in the world, perhaps such a technical-sounding government decision would fall to the domain of data wonks and financial consultants.
—Isabel Debre, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
The story skips over Ella’s rise from political wonk to lieutenant governor in the office of Albert Brooks’ avuncular Governor Bill.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Dec. 2025
Some industry insiders and policy wonks will say the public needs a few economics lessons.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wonk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wonk
Noun
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He's helped by Piggy (David McKenna), the prototypical nerd with asthma and an unfortunate nickname, but one of the only boys thinking of the practicalities of their survival.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
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But the technical review seems to go well, nerd-to-nerd.—
Neil Senturia,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 May 2026
Noun
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Despite the smaller merits caseload, tax law geeks like me have been delighted to see high-profile tax cases reach the Court.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
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SoundCloud rappers were weebs; DnD geeks became huge influencers.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wonk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wonk. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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