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Anyway…
Wonky has come up as a recently popular word, but it’s always been one of my favorites. But whenever I would say it in the past my friends were always like, “HUH?” So I guess I went hipster with this and used it before it was cool.
So what is wonky?
Dictionary.com defines it as:
Adjective
1. British Slang.
a. shaky, groggy, or unsteady.
b. unreliable; not trustworthy.
2. Slang. stupid; boring; unattractive.
Sounds about right.
Wonky has apparently taken on the “unreliable” meaning but applied it to things instead of people. So when your internet goes out, it’s being wonky. When your printer stops working, it’s being wonky. It can also be used to describe smells or tastes. As in the guy next to me on the subway this morning smelt wonky.
The ever-helpful Urban Dictionary proves it:
“Weird, whacked out, messed up, not working for no definable reason. Usually applied to technology.”
“Crazy, loony, not quite right, out of sorts. A mix of bonkers and wacky.”
“Askew, non-intuitive, poorly designed, or not functioning as it should.”
Wonky also takes on the “groggy” meaning when used to describe someone who has taken ketamine, a form of anesthesia.
Personally, I like to use wonky to describe technology because it just kind of fits. So when my iPhone decides to get a mind of its own and turn on and off by itself, it’s being wonky. It’s just a good word to use when something isn’t working quite right.
Have you used wonky? Did you just start using it recently? Will you use it now? Tell me in the comments!
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Being British, it sounds really weird that people dont know what wonky means! We use for saying something is slanted, so its at a wonky angle. Never heard any other uses for the word though!