wonky

¹

[ wong-kee ]

adjective

, Slang.

, won·ki·er, won·ki·est.

1. (of a person) shaky, groggy, or unsteady.
2. not exactly straight or balanced; off-kilter:

   a wonky chair with an uneven leg.

3. not working properly; faulty; unreliable:

   Something went wonky with my computer.

4. crazy; mad:

   That's just odd logic and wonky reasoning.

wonky

²

[ wong-kee ]

adjective

, Slang.

, won·ki·er, won·ki·est.

1. stupid; boring; unattractive.
2. relating to, appealing to, or characteristic of a wonk; concerned with minute details of a topic or issue:

   a wonky bureaucrat.

wonky

/ ˈwɒŋkɪ /

adjective

1. shaky or unsteady
2. not in correct alignment; askew
3. liable to break down or develop a fault

Other Words From

• won·ki·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wonky¹

First recorded in 1915–20; perhaps variant of dialectal wanky, equivalent to wank(le) ( Middle English wankel, Old English wancol; wench ) + -y ¹

Origin of wonky²

First recorded in 1975–80; wonk ( def ) + -y ¹( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of wonky¹

C20: variant of dialect wanky, from Old English wancol

Example Sentences

But Christmas came early for fans of wonky trees when this year's leaning one was unveiled on the recently pedestrianised Broad Street.

From BBC

Measure G didn’t grab as much attention as others, but the wonky reform package could help Los Angeles County make progress on its jail, homelessness and more.

From Los Angeles Times

Walz clearly wanted to highlight his record and show his wonky side with lots of details.

From Salon

Underlying most of them is his promise to end civil service protections, a sweeping idea that has escaped public scrutiny because it is so wonky.

From Los Angeles Times

Light-hearted moments - a decidedly wonky tourniquet here or there - punctuate a heavy air.

From BBC

Related Words

• rickety
• unstable
• unsteady
• wobbly