See wonk on Wiktionary
{
"derived": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "policy wonk"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "wonkfest"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "wonkish"
}
],
"etymology_text": "American English student slang 1954; perhaps navy slang before that. \"Expert\" sense popularized in the Clinton administration, 1993. Origin uncertain, possibly from wonky (“shaky, unreliable”) or wank, wanker or simply expressive.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "wonks",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "wonk (plural wonks)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "68 32",
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "People",
"orig": "en:People",
"parents": [
"Human",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2014, Catherine Sheldrick Ross, Pleasures of Reading, The: A Booklover's Alphabet, page 53:",
"text": "Previously, e-reading had been the domain of early adopters and new technology wonks.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An overly studious person, particularly a student."
],
"id": "en-wonk-en-noun-6Sm9bJ6w",
"links": [
[
"derogatory",
"derogatory"
],
[
"studious",
"studious"
],
[
"student",
"student"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(derogatory, informal) An overly studious person, particularly a student."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "nerd"
},
{
"word": "dork"
}
],
"tags": [
"derogatory",
"informal"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "88 12",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "bûcheur"
},
{
"_dis1": "88 12",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Streber"
},
{
"_dis1": "88 12",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Streberin"
},
{
"_dis1": "88 12",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "secchione"
},
{
"_dis1": "88 12",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "botán",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "бота́н"
},
{
"_dis1": "88 12",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "empollón"
},
{
"_dis1": "88 12",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"Spain",
"derogatory",
"feminine"
],
"word": "empollona"
},
{
"_dis1": "88 12",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "chapón"
},
{
"_dis1": "88 12",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"Spain",
"derogatory",
"feminine"
],
"word": "chapona"
},
{
"_dis1": "88 12",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"Chile",
"colloquial",
"masculine"
],
"word": "mateo"
},
{
"_dis1": "88 12",
"code": "zza",
"lang": "Zazaki",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"word": "cıwan (diq)"
},
{
"_dis1": "88 12",
"code": "zza",
"lang": "Zazaki",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "resber"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "11 89",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "19 81",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Entries with translation boxes",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "11 89",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "8 92",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "24 76",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with French translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "21 79",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with German translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "18 82",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Italian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "18 82",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Russian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "17 83",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "18 82",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Zazaki translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2014 March 14, Dean Baker, “Paul Ryan isn't the wonk of Washington – it's time to listen to more good ideas”, in The Guardian:",
"text": "This is the sort of standard that the Paul Ryans of the world trumpet to their constituents, to potential campaign contributors and to their peers in Congress. They become “budget wonks” and political superstars, even if their proposals are bound to go nowhere.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A policy wonk or other intellectual expert."
],
"id": "en-wonk-en-noun-cmWqS9ra",
"links": [
[
"policy wonk",
"policy wonk"
],
[
"intellectual",
"intellectual"
],
[
"expert",
"expert"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(by extension, informal) A policy wonk or other intellectual expert."
],
"tags": [
"broadly",
"informal"
]
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"Michael Quinion"
],
"word": "wonk"
}
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English student slang",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Italian translations",
"Terms with Russian translations",
"Terms with Spanish translations",
"Terms with Zazaki translations",
"en:People"
],
"derived": [
{
"word": "policy wonk"
},
{
"word": "wonkfest"
},
{
"word": "wonkish"
}
],
"etymology_text": "American English student slang 1954; perhaps navy slang before that. \"Expert\" sense popularized in the Clinton administration, 1993. Origin uncertain, possibly from wonky (“shaky, unreliable”) or wank, wanker or simply expressive.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "wonks",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "wonk (plural wonks)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English derogatory terms",
"English informal terms",
"English terms with quotations",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2014, Catherine Sheldrick Ross, Pleasures of Reading, The: A Booklover's Alphabet, page 53:",
"text": "Previously, e-reading had been the domain of early adopters and new technology wonks.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An overly studious person, particularly a student."
],
"links": [
[
"derogatory",
"derogatory"
],
[
"studious",
"studious"
],
[
"student",
"student"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(derogatory, informal) An overly studious person, particularly a student."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "nerd"
},
{
"word": "dork"
}
],
"tags": [
"derogatory",
"informal"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English informal terms",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2014 March 14, Dean Baker, “Paul Ryan isn't the wonk of Washington – it's time to listen to more good ideas”, in The Guardian:",
"text": "This is the sort of standard that the Paul Ryans of the world trumpet to their constituents, to potential campaign contributors and to their peers in Congress. They become “budget wonks” and political superstars, even if their proposals are bound to go nowhere.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A policy wonk or other intellectual expert."
],
"links": [
[
"policy wonk",
"policy wonk"
],
[
"intellectual",
"intellectual"
],
[
"expert",
"expert"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(by extension, informal) A policy wonk or other intellectual expert."
],
"tags": [
"broadly",
"informal"
]
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "bûcheur"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Streber"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Streberin"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "secchione"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "botán",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "бота́н"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "empollón"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"Spain",
"derogatory",
"feminine"
],
"word": "empollona"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "chapón"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"Spain",
"derogatory",
"feminine"
],
"word": "chapona"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"Chile",
"colloquial",
"masculine"
],
"word": "mateo"
},
{
"code": "zza",
"lang": "Zazaki",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"word": "cıwan (diq)"
},
{
"code": "zza",
"lang": "Zazaki",
"sense": "overly studious person",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "resber"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"Michael Quinion"
],
"word": "wonk"
}
Download raw JSONL data for wonk meaning in All languages combined (3.9kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-20 using wiktextract (c15a5ce and 5c11237). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.