"hacky" meaning in English

See hacky in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

Audio: en-uk-hacky.ogg Forms: hackier [comparative], hackiest [superlative]
Rhymes: -æki Etymology: From hack + -y. Etymology templates: {{suf|en|hack|y|id2=adjectival}} hack + -y Head templates: {{en-adj|er}} hacky (comparative hackier, superlative hackiest)
  1. Like a hack; amateurish.
    Sense id: en-hacky-en-adj-UlLtRyhM
  2. (Geordie) Filthy or totally dirty. Tags: Geordie
    Sense id: en-hacky-en-adj-eY3~TTGl Categories (other): Geordie English
  3. (computing, informal) Using, or characterised by, hacks: poorly designed workarounds. Tags: informal
    Sense id: en-hacky-en-adj--4n59IOk Categories (other): Computing Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences
  4. (colloquial) Short and interrupted, broken, jerky; hacking. Tags: colloquial
    Sense id: en-hacky-en-adj-6Cw9hoC2 Categories (other): English terms with collocations, English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -y (adjectival), Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 14 2 31 47 6 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -y (adjectival): 10 6 32 52 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 9 2 22 61 5 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 18 2 20 56 4
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: hackish Derived forms: hackily, hackiness, hacky sack Related terms: dirty [English, Standard], dorty [Geordie], hacky dorty [Geordie], unclean [English, Standard]
Etymology number: 1

Adjective

Audio: en-uk-hacky.ogg Forms: more hacky [comparative], most hacky [superlative]
Rhymes: -æki Etymology: Alteration of hackneyed. Head templates: {{en-adj}} hacky (comparative more hacky, superlative most hacky)
  1. (comedy, informal) Hackneyed (lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite) Tags: informal
    Sense id: en-hacky-en-adj-vb5UtWHZ Categories (other): Comedy Topics: comedy, entertainment, lifestyle
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Inflected forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "hackily"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "hackiness"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "hacky sack"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hack",
        "3": "y",
        "id2": "adjectival"
      },
      "expansion": "hack + -y",
      "name": "suf"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From hack + -y.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "hackier",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "hackiest",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "er"
      },
      "expansion": "hacky (comparative hackier, superlative hackiest)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "tags": [
        "English",
        "Standard"
      ],
      "word": "dirty"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "tags": [
        "Geordie"
      ],
      "word": "dorty"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "tags": [
        "Geordie"
      ],
      "word": "hacky dorty"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "tags": [
        "English",
        "Standard"
      ],
      "word": "unclean"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Like a hack; amateurish."
      ],
      "id": "en-hacky-en-adj-UlLtRyhM",
      "links": [
        [
          "hack",
          "hack"
        ],
        [
          "amateurish",
          "amateurish"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Geordie English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Filthy or totally dirty."
      ],
      "id": "en-hacky-en-adj-eY3~TTGl",
      "links": [
        [
          "Filthy",
          "filthy"
        ],
        [
          "dirty",
          "dirty"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Geordie) Filthy or totally dirty."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Geordie"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Computing",
          "orig": "en:Computing",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Using, or characterised by, hacks: poorly designed workarounds."
      ],
      "id": "en-hacky-en-adj--4n59IOk",
      "links": [
        [
          "computing",
          "computing#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "hack",
          "hack"
        ],
        [
          "workaround",
          "workaround"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(computing, informal) Using, or characterised by, hacks: poorly designed workarounds."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "computing",
        "engineering",
        "mathematics",
        "natural-sciences",
        "physical-sciences",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with collocations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "14 2 31 47 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "10 6 32 52",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -y (adjectival)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 2 22 61 5",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "18 2 20 56 4",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              2,
              7
            ],
            [
              17,
              22
            ],
            [
              32,
              37
            ],
            [
              48,
              53
            ]
          ],
          "text": "A hacky cough. A hacky laugh. A hacky breath. A hacky howl.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Short and interrupted, broken, jerky; hacking."
      ],
      "id": "en-hacky-en-adj-6Cw9hoC2",
      "links": [
        [
          "hacking",
          "hacking"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(colloquial) Short and interrupted, broken, jerky; hacking."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "rhymes": "-æki"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-uk-hacky.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8b/En-uk-hacky.ogg/En-uk-hacky.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/En-uk-hacky.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "hackish"
    }
  ],
  "word": "hacky"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_text": "Alteration of hackneyed.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more hacky",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most hacky",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "hacky (comparative more hacky, superlative most hacky)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Comedy",
          "orig": "en:Comedy",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Hackneyed (lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite)"
      ],
      "id": "en-hacky-en-adj-vb5UtWHZ",
      "links": [
        [
          "comedy",
          "comedy"
        ],
        [
          "Hackneyed",
          "hackneyed"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(comedy, informal) Hackneyed (lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "comedy",
        "entertainment",
        "lifestyle"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "rhymes": "-æki"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-uk-hacky.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8b/En-uk-hacky.ogg/En-uk-hacky.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/En-uk-hacky.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "hacky"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms suffixed with -y (adjectival)",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/æki",
    "Rhymes:English/æki/2 syllables"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "hackily"
    },
    {
      "word": "hackiness"
    },
    {
      "word": "hacky sack"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hack",
        "3": "y",
        "id2": "adjectival"
      },
      "expansion": "hack + -y",
      "name": "suf"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From hack + -y.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "hackier",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "hackiest",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "er"
      },
      "expansion": "hacky (comparative hackier, superlative hackiest)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "related": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "English",
        "Standard"
      ],
      "word": "dirty"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Geordie"
      ],
      "word": "dorty"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Geordie"
      ],
      "word": "hacky dorty"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "English",
        "Standard"
      ],
      "word": "unclean"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Like a hack; amateurish."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "hack",
          "hack"
        ],
        [
          "amateurish",
          "amateurish"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Geordie English"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Filthy or totally dirty."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Filthy",
          "filthy"
        ],
        [
          "dirty",
          "dirty"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Geordie) Filthy or totally dirty."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Geordie"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English informal terms",
        "en:Computing"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Using, or characterised by, hacks: poorly designed workarounds."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "computing",
          "computing#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "hack",
          "hack"
        ],
        [
          "workaround",
          "workaround"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(computing, informal) Using, or characterised by, hacks: poorly designed workarounds."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "computing",
        "engineering",
        "mathematics",
        "natural-sciences",
        "physical-sciences",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English colloquialisms",
        "English terms with collocations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              2,
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            ],
            [
              17,
              22
            ],
            [
              32,
              37
            ],
            [
              48,
              53
            ]
          ],
          "text": "A hacky cough. A hacky laugh. A hacky breath. A hacky howl.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Short and interrupted, broken, jerky; hacking."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "hacking",
          "hacking"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(colloquial) Short and interrupted, broken, jerky; hacking."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "rhymes": "-æki"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-uk-hacky.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8b/En-uk-hacky.ogg/En-uk-hacky.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/En-uk-hacky.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "hackish"
    }
  ],
  "word": "hacky"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/æki",
    "Rhymes:English/æki/2 syllables"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_text": "Alteration of hackneyed.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more hacky",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most hacky",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "hacky (comparative more hacky, superlative most hacky)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English informal terms",
        "en:Comedy"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Hackneyed (lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "comedy",
          "comedy"
        ],
        [
          "Hackneyed",
          "hackneyed"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(comedy, informal) Hackneyed (lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "comedy",
        "entertainment",
        "lifestyle"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "rhymes": "-æki"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-uk-hacky.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8b/En-uk-hacky.ogg/En-uk-hacky.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/En-uk-hacky.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "hacky"
}

Download raw JSONL data for hacky meaning in English (3.7kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-06-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-06-01 using wiktextract (5ee713e and f1c2b61). 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.