poky

American  

[poh-kee] / ˈpoʊ ki /

adjective

Informal.

pokier, pokiest

1. moving or acting slowly or ineffectively; slow; dull.

   poky drivers.

2. (of a place) small and cramped.

   a poky little room.

3. (of dress) dowdy.

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poky British  

/ ˈpəʊkɪ /

adjective

1. informal (esp of rooms) small and cramped

2. without speed or energy; slow

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noun

1. slang prison

Other Word Forms

• pokily
  adverb
• pokiness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of poky

First recorded in 1825–30; poke ¹ + -y ¹

Explanation

Someone who moves very slowly is poky. When you try to take your poky dog on a jog, she'll stop to sniff every bush and blade of grass along the way. Wasting time, dawdling, or being annoying and boring are all ways to get called poky: "I need a new computer — my poky old laptop takes forever to do anything." In Britain this adjective is sometimes used in a completely opposite way, to mean "speedy" or "quick to accelerate": "Her car is much more poky than it looks!"

Example Sentences

Millions of people enjoyed The Poky Little Puppy as children, because it was cheap and because, being children, they had no standards.

From Slate • Jun. 2, 2015

Over three days, the Poky Little Puppy is up by eight-and-three-quarters desserts.

From Slate • Jun. 2, 2015

For kids who are already growing up too fast: The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey.

From Time • Jun. 24, 2014

The scoreboard replaces the Poky Little Puppy Football Facts Flashcards from which Romo previously learned game management.

From New York Times • Oct. 14, 2011

I’d traveled to Poky early one January with the crazy idea of visiting a particular resident.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan