janky
Americanadjective
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inferior in quality.
a low-budget janky recording.
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not working or operating properly: the game's janky interface.
a janky old car;
the game's janky interface.
-
untrustworthy; disreputable.
He's a good guy but has some weird and janky friends.
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undesirable; dilapidated or run-down.
He's from the janky part of town where there was a shooting the other night.
Etymology
Origin of janky
First recorded in 1990–95; origin uncertain; perhaps a regional or affected pronunciation of junky 1 ( 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.
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
In an early episode, McCann breaks her phone, and, being the only member of the cast who isn’t rolling in cash, totes her janky laptop to the club so she can send texts.
From Salon • Aug. 2, 2025
Perhaps I could just put up with janky messaging.
From Slate • Mar. 21, 2024
We lugged the janky wagon back toward the crossroads.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
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.
