wonky
1 Americanadjective
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(of a person) shaky, groggy, or unsteady.
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not exactly straight or balanced; off-kilter.
a wonky chair with an uneven leg.
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not working properly; faulty; unreliable.
Something went wonky with my computer.
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That's just odd logic and wonky reasoning.
adjective
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stupid; boring; unattractive.
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relating to, appealing to, or characteristic of a wonk; concerned with minute details of a topic or issue.
a wonky bureaucrat.
adjective
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shaky or unsteady
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not in correct alignment; askew
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liable to break down or develop a fault
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wonky1
First recorded in 1915–20; perhaps variant of dialectal wanky, equivalent to wank(le) ( Middle English wankel, Old English wancol; see wench) + -y 1
Origin of wonky2
First recorded in 1975–80; wonk ( def. ) + -y 1 ( def. )
Explanation
Things that are wonky are a little bit crooked or wobbly — a table that isn't balanced right, a nose that's a bit out of place. Something that’s wonky isn’t necessarily broken; it’s just slightly “off.” Wonky can also describe something that isn't working correctly, such as an old TV set that shows only one channel, or maybe even your brain after you’ve just pulled an all-nighter. Important: Don't confuse wonky with wonk. A wonk is an extremely studious person, and usually wonks are very far from being wonky (except perhaps in terms of their social skills).
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.
See Examples For:
“It’s wonky territory to try to navigate,” said Nattoli.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
It may not be destined for a place alongside those favorites, but “Emily” has a wonky charisma all its own that just might satisfy fans of those British charmers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
There was a wonky wireless phone charger, but a USB-C outlet would have been more useful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
And he says leave that lip liner until last - it'll just "highlight how wonky your drawing skills are".
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
I kept playing, doing my best to let it pour out of me, though there were plenty of wonky and lagging notes.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
That means shoppers could start seeing smaller, wonkier or oddly coloured veg on the shelves in the coming weeks - and sellers and growers say it's still good to eat.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
On the wonkier side, bond prices have also been falling in tandem with stock prices more often than they used to.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 23, 2023
But the way Tulis spins the thread is wonkier and clunkier than it could, or should, be.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 26, 2022
Ms. Roem has tried to buy some patience with far wonkier details than Ms. McGinn has offered.
From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2019
He leaves the scathing criticism and wonkier observation to Meyers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2017
The news of a result surprised even the wonkiest researchers inside OpenAI, who scrambled to check it by using their own AI agents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
As ferocious flames ripped through the 18th Century "wonkiest pub", a slice of history and the apple of the Black Country’s eye was razed.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2024
The tavern, known as “Britain’s wonkiest pub” for its slanting walls and floors, was sold to a private developer in July 2023.
From New York Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
An urgent meeting is to be held over the future of the site where the landmark "wonkiest pub" was gutted in a fire then demolished, says the mayor of the West Midlands.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2023
The celebrated Black Country venue, a pub since the 1940s, was once known as the "wonkiest" in Britain, and drew its name from the effects of mining subsidence in the 19th Century.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2023
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
