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:
Because of this more scholarly orientation, his most extreme ideas sound, at first glance, a little wonky.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
“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
A spirited, wonky discussion of cycling ethics and tactics?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
I hear the high-pitched squeal of a wonky wheel.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
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
Medical care insurance is also higher, though it is measured in inflation in a wonkier way, essentially by taking a look at an insurance company’s earnings after it has paid out benefits.
From New York Times ● Mar. 12, 2024
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
Over at Ankler, Rushfield’s posts tend to be wonkier, more analytical but with bite.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2022
The debates are an imperfect system, he acknowledged, disadvantaging candidates who are more ruminative, wonkier, slower to the draw, and perhaps privileging woo-woo and bright shiny objects above their due.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 19, 2019
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
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
Once known as "Britain's wonkiest" inn, the pub was gutted in the blaze on 5 August and then suddenly demolished two days later.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2023
Once known as "Britain's wonkiest" inn, the pub in Staffordshire was hit by the fire on 5 August, and demolished less than two days later.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2023
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
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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.
