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Synonyms

hunky

1 American  
[huhng-kee] / ˈhʌŋ ki /

adjective

Slang.

  1. satisfactory; well; all right.

  2. even; leaving no balance.

hunky 2 American  
[huhng-kee] / ˈhʌŋ ki /

adjective

hunkier, hunkiest

  1. Slang. (of a male) handsome and having well-developed physique.

hunky 3 American  
[huhng-kee] / ˈhʌŋ ki /
Or hunkie

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter)

plural

hunkies

  1. a contemptuous term used to refer to a person of Hungarian or Slavic descent, especially an unskilled or semiskilled worker.

Etymology

Origin of hunky1

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65; from obsolete New York City slang term hunk, used especially by boys at play for home base, home (the goal); from Dutch honk “post, station, base, home” + -y 1 ( def. ); hunky-dory ( def. )

Origin of hunky2

First recorded in 1910–15; hunk + -y 1

Origin of hunky3

First recorded in 1905–10; (bo)hunk ( def. ) + -y 2 ( def. )

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.

They’re making charming, hunky appearances at late-night talk shows and Hollywood awards ceremonies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

At the end of the performance, the duo threw dozens of heart-shaped pillows into the audience, all containing the phrase "te amo", supposedly stitched by their hunky counterparts.

From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025

This is why the fury metastasized over the weekend when Swift kissed her hunky boyfriend on the field after his big win.

From Salon • Feb. 2, 2024

In the hit TV show, the character Sydney Adamu, a Black unapologetically ambitious sous-chef, is attempting to help the show’s hunky, emotionally touchy male protagonist transform his dead brother’s sandwich shop into a Michelin-star restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2023

“Thank you, sir. Sir—” “Don’t mention it. How do you like living out there in the woods, Chaplain? Is everything hunky dory?”

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.