Funky
adj, slang ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 Offbeat, unconventional or eccentric. US, slang
- 2 Not quite right; of questionable quality; not appropriate to the context. US, slang
"By the tone of her voice I could tell she had a funky attitude, but I kept my head under the covers and didn't say shit."
- 3 Cool; great; excellent. UK, US, slang
"Eight-bit Arkanoid is a funky game — not as sexy as its 16-bit sister, but fun to spend time with. I'm hooked."
- 4 Having a foul or unpleasant smell.
"They could scarcely bear their knowledge, nor could they have borne the sight of Rufus, but they knew why he was in the streets tonight, why he rode subways all night long, why his stomach growled, why his hair was nappy, his armpits funky, his pants and shoes too thin, and why he did not dare to stop and take a leak."
- 5 Relating to or reminiscent of various genres of African American music, especially funk.
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- 6 Relating to, or characterized by, great fear, or funking. UK, dated, slang
- 1 in a state of cowardly fright wordnet
- 2 stylish and modern in an unconventional way wordnet
- 3 (of jazz) having the soulful feeling of early blues wordnet
- 4 offensively malodorous wordnet
Example
More examples"German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil (R) wears a face mask as he talks to staff during his visit at the restaurant "Funky Fish" in Berlin, Germany, May 19, 2020."
Etymology
From funk + -y.
Related phrases
More for "funky"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.