funky
funky Lexical Profile
funky Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having a strong, danceable, syncopated rhythm and a prominent bassline, characteristic of funk, soul, or jazz music.
"The band opened their set with a funky bassline that immediately got the crowd dancing."
Modern, stylish, and unconventional in an appealing or eccentric way.
"She decorated her studio apartment with funky vintage furniture and bright neon art."
Having a strong, musty, stale, or unpleasant odor.
"A funky smell was coming from the gym bag that had been left in the trunk all weekend."
North American Unusual, strange, or not functioning as expected.
"The computer screen started doing something funky right before the system crashed."
• Rhymes for funky
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the late 18th century meaning 'musty' or 'foul-smelling' from the noun 'funk' (strong smell or smoke, likely from dialectal French 'funkier', to blow smoke). In early 20th-century African American jazz slang, it evolved to describe earthy, deeply rhythmic music, and later broadened to mean 'unconventionally stylish'.