wonk
Americannoun
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a student who spends much time studying and has little or no social life; grind.
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a stupid, boring, or unattractive person.
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a person who studies a subject or issue in an excessively assiduous and thorough manner.
They’re searching for a policy wonk to lead the economic institute’s think tank.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wonk
An Americanism first recorded in 1960–65; of expressive origin; nautical slang wonk “a midshipman,” and Australian slang “white person; gay man” are probably independent formations
Explanation
If your brother would always rather stay home and study than go out with his friends, it would be accurate and a little bit mean to call him a wonk, or a nerd. The noun wonk is an informal way of referring to an overly studious person. Wonk is as derogatory as words like "dweeb" or "geek," and it implies someone who is boringly focused on work or school — like your physics major friend "the science wonk." Extreme fans of politics are sometimes called policy wonks. The word originated in the 1950s from American student slang, possibly from the word wonky, or "shaky and unreliable."
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.
Richards sometimes spent days without leaving the studio, a wily guitar wonk dreaming up rugged riffs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
The case is yet another example of Carr’s dramatic transformation from a low-key communications policy wonk into one of Trump’s staunchest cultural warriors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2025
Facts are great when you’re a lawyer in court or when you’re a wonk writing policy briefs and refining legislative language.
From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2025
Allow me to wonk out for a moment here.
From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2025
Tina was a bighearted policy wonk with an infectious laugh and more hustle than just about anyone I knew.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
