Wonky

Pronunciation

• British IPA: /ˈwɔːŋ.kɪ/
• US enPR: wŏngʹkÄ“, IPA: /ˈwÉ‘Å‹.ki/, /ˈwɔŋ.ki/
• Rhymes: -É’Å‹ki

Origin

From English dialectal wanky, alteration of Middle English wankel ("unstable, shaky"), from Old English wancol ("unstable"), from Proto-Germanic *wankulaz ("swaying, shaky, unstable"), from Proto-Germanic *wankōną ("to sway, be unsteady"), from Proto-Indo-European *wa(n)k-, *wek-, *wag-, *weg- ("to swing, be unsteady, slant, be crooked"). Cognate with Scots wankle ("wonky"), Dutch wankel ("shaky"), German Wankelmut ("fickleness, inconstancy, vacillation"), Danish vanke ("to wander"). See also wankle.

Full definition of wonky

Adjective

1. (chiefly British, Australia, NZ) Lopsided, misaligned or off-centre.
2. (chiefly British, Australia, NZ) Feeble, shaky or rickety.
3. (computing, especially Usenet) Suffering from intermittent bugs; broken.
4. Generally incorrect.

Synonyms

• (lopsided, misaligned) awry, lonkie, skew-whiff

Derived terms

• wonky hole

Anagrams

• y'know