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
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
Policy wonks, advocates and representatives are descending on the European Union’s de facto capital for the European Council’s autumn meeting.
—Frey Lindsay, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for wonk
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
Policy wonks, advocates and representatives are descending on the European Union’s de facto capital for the European Council’s autumn meeting.
—Frey Lindsay, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for wonk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wonk
Noun
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By comparison, his romantic rival Archie (Devon Bostick) is a weirdo, but a more believable one, and Bostick’s banter with Ferreira has a specific kind of romantic chemistry common to hyperintelligent, socially awkward nerds.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
4 Sep. 2025
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My brother was a poet, classics scholar, and charismatic leader of nerds who blossomed into a handsome surfer and then nosedived into schizophrenia and a life of unfiltered Camel cigarettes, caffeine, and antipsychotics.—
Kim Gordon,
Rolling Stone,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And make no mistake — Taylor is the kind of pop geek who knows all these stories cold, so this is primed to be the biggest pop wedding of all.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
27 Aug. 2025
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Both men are charismatic movie stars who happen to share a secret film-geek disposition.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wonk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wonk. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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