Word of the Day: Wonky

wonky

won-ky / wŏng-kē

adjective

1. unsteady; wobbly; shaky

That thought made Ki-jeong want to straighten out the rumpled bed sheets and make the bed up neatly, fold a thick piece of paper and stick it beneath the wonky chair leg to balance it, attach a deadbolt to the flimsy goshiwon door, and take the purple trench coat off of the dingy wall, place it in a clean garment bag, and hang it in a closet. 

From “The Law of Lines: A Novel” by Hye-young Pyun, 1972 –

2. not properly aligned; crooked; askew

You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.

From “James and the Giant Peach” by Roald Dahl, 1916 – 1990

3. not working properly; faulty

We just need to make the best of our lovely, wonky selves.

Miranda Hart, 1972 –

4.  mentally disturbed; crazy

Relax, we’re all wonky, it’s not a competition.