janky

[ jang-kee ]

adjective

, Slang.

1. inferior in quality:

   a low-budget janky recording.

2. not working or operating properly: the game's janky interface.

   a janky old car;

   the game's janky interface.

3. untrustworthy; disreputable:

   He's a good guy but has some weird and janky friends.

4. undesirable; dilapidated or run-down:

   He's from the janky part of town where there was a shooting the other night.

Word History and Origins

Origin of janky¹

First recorded in 1990–95; origin uncertain; perhaps a regional or affected pronunciation of junky ¹( def )

Example Sentences

Obsessed with past wrongs, Jabir has been quietly building a time machine, a contraption that looks like a janky iron lung.

From New York Times

“It had a bunch of janky roller coasters and spinning things,” Koekkoek recollected.

From Los Angeles Times

A lot of thought has been put into how a janky old phone or wireless earbuds might affect Emily and Sam’s communication.

From Los Angeles Times

There are Russian oligarchs and business titans, strongmen, burner phones, janky bars and SROs, and dubious, shadowy figures with dirty hands.

From Washington Post

Sure, the janky conveyor belt leading up the stairs to the second floor might rip your arm off if you weren’t careful.

From Los Angeles Times