Anorak

//ˈænəɹæk// noun, slang

noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A heavy weatherproof jacket with an attached hood; a parka or windcheater.

    "Don't ever use the hood on your anorak; and, if you do, for heaven's sake don't pull the string tight so that you peep out like a little baby in a siren suit."

  2. 2
    a kind of heavy jacket wordnet
  3. 3
    A person with an unusual or obsessive interest in a niche subject, especially trains. UK, slang

    "He has described himself as the uber-geek, an anorak's anorak, a standard bearer for fellow Star Trekkies everywhere, and his air of bland, amiable bafflement has served him remarkably well in a string of TV and film roles."

Example

More examples

"My anorak, such as it was, stood me in good stead."

Etymology

* Borrowed from Greenlandic annoraaq. * (person with obsessive interest): Originally referring to train spotters (because they would wear anoraks while looking out for trains).

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.