wack

¹

[ wak ]

noun

1. an odd, irrational, or unconventional person; wacko.
2. a thing or things that are unsatisfactory, worthless, or of low quality:

   The show is mostly a lot of wack, with a couple of funny moments.

adjective

1. extremely bad or inferior:

   The song is great, but the video is really wack.

2. odd, irrational, or unconventional; wacky:

   I’m afraid the neighbors think we’re wack!

3. extremely good:

   The guys scarfed down those wack cookies you made, and they're asking for more.

wack

²

[ wak ]

verb (used with or without object)

1. whack ¹.

wack

/ wæk; ˈwækə /

noun

1. dialect.
   friend; pal: used chiefly as a term of address

Word History and Origins

Origin of wack¹

First recorded in 1935–40; perhaps back formation from wacky; popularized in 1986 from the anti-crack mural by the U.S. pop artist Keith Haring (1958–90), which bore the slogan “Crack is wack”

Word History and Origins

Origin of wack¹

perhaps from dialect wack or whack to share out, hence one who shares, a friend

Example Sentences

Let me tell y'all something, there’s so much wack s**t out here.

From Salon

I'm just going to say it's so much wack s**t out here because everything is microwaved.

From Salon

Talent manager Wack 100, who made the claims Monday on his podcast, said that he had received images from a rehab employee of Gotti in recovery, alleging that Gotti was using a walker and “lost a lot of weight” during his health struggle, which he was allegedly keeping “under wraps.”

From Los Angeles Times

“What kind of wack name is that anyway?”

From Literature

Remnants of his public works, like his crimson “Crack is Wack” handball court mural in East Harlem from 1986 and the 700-foot wraparound frieze in Woodhull Medical Center done the same year, remain highly visible.

From New York Times

Related Words

• character
• identity
• personality