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dorky

American  
[dawr-kee] / ˈdɔr ki /

adjective

Slang.
dorkier, dorkiest
  1. stupid, inept, or unfashionable.


Etymology

Origin of dorky

dork + -y 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

I didn’t even mind the dorky dancing in front of taxi cabs during Wednesday night’s ridiculous Netflix Yankees-Giants opener.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 26, 2026

But what was once a small and proudly dorky academic gathering has become something more like AI-palooza.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 20, 2025

I was the dorky guy who played basketball all through his school lunch periods and once was elected president of the Malibu Jr. Optimist Stamp Club.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 12, 2025

If during past summers these people seemed dorky or extreme, insistent on bringing an indoor comfort outdoors, now I wanted to be one of them.

From Slate Aug. 27, 2024

“I’m not a jerk. I’m a junior, which means I’ve done the dorky freshman thing. Now it’s your turn, and I cannot wait to make some popcorn, watch the show, and laugh.”

From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau

Is there anything dorkier and more boringly domestic than an allowance?

From Slate Mar. 7, 2018

The teacher was flummoxed until she saw a flood of Rainbow Loom jewelry pour out of a shy kid’s backpack: He and his dorkier classmates were buying bracelets off the student royalty.

From Slate Dec. 19, 2013

Pitch "One Direction for adolescent girls who prefer their guys a little on the dorkier side" is what Atlantic magazine said.

From The Guardian Apr. 6, 2013

The best manifestation of this is in the relationship between two characters named Demetri and Eli, who start the series as the dorkiest of the dorks.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 18, 2021

Or we’d learn at the very least that this is the awkwardness that passes for seduction in the dorkiest Zip codes of the land.

From Washington Post Jul. 13, 2018

There was the time Tommy Mooney scored a winner for Watford at Anfield back in 1999, but only the dorkiest of narrative completists would place much significance on that.

From The Guardian Nov. 6, 2016

My favorite routine—and dorkiest, by far—is a DIY “turn-down service.”

From Time Dec. 18, 2015

Myron reached the bottom of the steps with the biggest, goofiest, dorkiest smile I had ever seen on a human being.

From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben

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