wonky

[ wong-kee ]
/ ˈwɒŋ ki /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR wonky ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, won·ki·er, won·ki·est.

British Slang.
  1. shaky, groggy, or unsteady.
  2. unreliable; not trustworthy.
Slang. stupid; boring; unattractive.

Origin of wonky

1920–25; perhaps variant of dial. wanky, equivalent to wank(le) (Middle English wankel, Old English wancol; see wench) + -y1; def. 1 probably represents a different word (see wonk)

Words nearby wonky

wonderwork, wondrous, wonga, wonga-wonga, wonk, wonky, wonna, wont, wonted, woo, woo-hoo

Words related to wonky

unsteady, wobbly, rickety, unstable, unreliable, crooked, awry, precarious, tottering

Example sentences from the Web for wonky

British Dictionary definitions for wonky

wonky
/ (ˈwɒŋkɪ) /

adjective -kier or -kiest British informal

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

Word Origin for wonky

C20: variant of dialect wanky, from Old English wancol