Dictionary.com

wonky

1
[ wong-kee ]
/ ˈwɒŋ ki /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR wonky

adjective, won·ki·er, won·ki·est.Slang.

(of a person) shaky, groggy, or unsteady.
not exactly straight or balanced; off-kilter: a wonky chair with an uneven leg.
not working properly; faulty; unreliable: Something went wonky with my computer.
crazy; mad: That's just odd logic and wonky reasoning.

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Also won·kish [wong-kish]. /ˈwɒŋ kɪʃ/.

Origin of wonky

1
First recorded in 1915–20; perhaps variant of dialectal wanky, equivalent to wank(le) (Middle English wankel, Old English wancol; see wench) + -y1

Words nearby wonky

wonga, wonga-wonga, Wŏnju, wonk, wonkish, wonky, wonna, Wŏnsan, wont, wonted, won't hear of

Definition for wonky (2 of 2)

wonky2
[ wong-kee ]
/ ˈwɒŋ ki /

adjective won·ki·er, won·ki·est.Slang.

stupid; boring; unattractive.
relating to, appealing to, or characteristic of a wonk; concerned with minute details of a topic or issue: a wonky bureaucrat.
Also won·kish [wong-kish]. /ˈwɒŋ kɪʃ/.

Origin of wonky

2
First recorded in 1975–80; wonk + -y1

OTHER WORDS FROM wonky

won·ki·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to wonky

unsteady, wobbly, rickety, unstable, unreliable, crooked, awry, precarious, tottering

Example sentences from the Web for wonky

British Dictionary definitions for wonky

wonky
/ (ˈwɒŋkɪ) /

adjective -kier or -kiest British informal

shaky or unsteady
not in correct alignment; askew
liable to break down or develop a fault

Word Origin for wonky

C20: variant of dialect wanky, from Old English wancol
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012