- Today's Word
Wonky
[WONG-kee]
Definition
- (adjective) Unsteady, shaky, or not functioning properly. It can also refer to ideas or policies that are overly complicated or impractical, especially in political contexts. In British English, it can mean something that is crooked or off-center.
Example
After the earthquake, the building’s structure was a bit wonky, with some walls leaning at odd angles and doors that wouldn’t close properly.
Fun Fact
The origin of “wonky” is uncertain, but it’s believed to have emerged in British English in the early 20th century. Some linguists speculate it might be related to the Dutch word “wankel,” meaning unstable or tottering. In recent years, “wonky” has taken on additional meaning in political circles, where a “policy wonk” is someone who studies a topic in great detail, often to the point of becoming an expert in very specific and technical aspects of policy.
(adjective) Lacking substance, interest, or mature thought; naive and simplistic in a way that reveals inexperience.
The critic dismissed the debut novel as jejune — competently written, technically adequate, and utterly devoid of anything worth remembering.
Jejune derives from the Latin jejunus, meaning “fasting” or “empty” — literally describing a stomach that has not been fed. The same root gives us jejunum, the section of the small intestine named for its tendency to be found empty after death. It entered English in the 17th century carrying its literal sense of emptiness before acquiring its figurative meaning of something intellectually or creatively hollow — content that has the form of nourishment without any of the substance.