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Slang dictionary results for janky.

janky

American  

[jang-kee] / ˈdʒæŋ ki /

adjective

Slang.

1. inferior in quality.

   a low-budget janky recording.

2. not working or operating properly: the game's janky interface.

   a janky old car;

   the game's janky interface.

3. untrustworthy; disreputable.

   He's a good guy but has some weird and janky friends.

4. undesirable; dilapidated or run-down.

   He's from the janky part of town where there was a shooting the other night.

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Etymology

Origin of janky

First recorded in 1990–95; origin uncertain; perhaps a regional or affected pronunciation of junky ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

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janky

Weigh those cons against the things AI has reliably proven it can do – cheat on homework and write janky code – and it’s easy to understand Sanders’ urge to stand and yell “stop!”

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

You’re proving my point: everyone’s making websites for themselves and janky games for their kids with Claude Code.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

"It's incredibly janky but, for me, the jank is the important thing," she says.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2025

If you look a little more closely, it screams janky A.I.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2024

And then it hit me why he didn’t have that janky door replaced.

From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds