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Synonyms

junky

1 American  
[juhng-kee] / ˈdʒʌŋ ki /

adjective

junkier, junkiest

  1. of the nature of junk; trashy.

junky 2 American  
[juhng-kee] / ˈdʒʌŋ ki /

noun

plural

junkies

  1. junkie.

Etymology

Origin of junky1

First recorded in 1945–50; junk 1 + -y 2

Origin of junky2

junk 3 + -y 2

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.

Through October, the junky small-company category rallied by 256% versus just 29% for those with quality characteristics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

It included absurd videos, off-kilter advertising images, cheesy propaganda, fake news that looks pretty real, junky AI-written books, “workslop” reports that waste coworkers’ time — and lots of talking cats.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026

Even the artificial-intelligence trade, which has been producing profits, may be more junky than it seems.

From Barron's • Oct. 23, 2025

Of course, we can try once again to make the arguments about why this test should not be used and how junky the science behind it is.

From Slate • Aug. 22, 2025

He couldn’t even get a bunch of junky old jars to a pawn shop without ruining them.

From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff

Definitions 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.