wonk

[wongk]

noun

Slang.

1. a student who spends much time studying and has little or no social life; grind.

2. a stupid, boring, or unattractive person.

3. 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.

wonk

/ wɒŋk /

noun

1. informal,  a person who is obsessively interested in a specified subject

   a foreign policy wonk

Other Word Forms

• wonkish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wonk¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of wonk¹

C20: of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

That’s what makes the Rockies the Holy Grail for the math wonks and Ivy League whiz kids who make up baseball’s executive class.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

This battle between Team USA and Europe at Bethpage Black is also a proxy war between rival flotillas of wonks and analysts who advise both teams.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And yet, in an era where MLB organizations are increasingly run by Ivy League whiz kids and their armies of data wonks, Dombrowski continues to outsmart the rest.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Eccles is almost entirely unknown to the public, but he’s revered among economic policy wonks — which explains why his name is on the Fed headquarters building.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A single, unified application for every one of California’s public affordable housing funding programs has been the bureaucratic holy grail of California affordable developers and policy wonks since at least the mid-1990s.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• geek 
• nerd