wonk
wonk Lexical Profile
wonk Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A person who takes an enthusiastic or excessive interest in the specialized details of a particular subject or field, especially political policy.
"As a dedicated healthcare policy wonk, she spent the weekend analyzing the new legislative proposal page by page."
American A studious, hardworking student who spends an excessive amount of time studying at the expense of social activities.
"During exam week, the campus library was packed with sleep-deprived wonks reviewing their lecture notes."
• verb
North American To study diligently or immerse oneself in the technical, specialized details of a subject (often followed by 'out').
"The two economists began to wonk out over municipal bond yields during dinner."
• Rhymes for wonk
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined as American college slang in the 1950s and 1960s (notably at Harvard University) to describe an overly studious classmate, possibly derived as an alteration of 'swank' or by reversing the letters of 'know'.