Meaning & use
hunky
Last updated
UK/ˈhʌŋki/
US/ˈhʌŋki/
Meaning
adjectivecomparableinformal
Describing a man who has a strong, muscular body and is physically attractive.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: a hunky actor, he looks hunky.
Patterns
- a hunky guy
- look hunky
The calendar featured twelve hunky firefighters.
Her brother's hunky friend walked into the room.
The film's hunky hero rescues the village.
Word forms
| comparative | hunkier |
|---|---|
| superlative | hunkiest |
Common combinations
- hunky actor
- The hunky actor starred in three summer movies.
- hunky guy
- A hunky guy carried her suitcases up the stairs.
- hunky lifeguard
- The beach was full of hunky lifeguards.
- hunky hero
- The hunky hero saves the day in the final scene.
Synonyms and how they differ
- muscular
- Muscular simply describes a strong body and says nothing about attractiveness, which hunky implies.
- buff
- Buff is slang for a fit, well-built body and is less focused on being appealing.
- handsome
- Handsome praises the face and overall looks, and works in formal speech, unlike hunky.
- beefy
- Beefy suggests heavy, solid muscle and can sound less flattering than hunky.
Opposites
Word family
- hunk noun
- a muscular, attractive man (informal), also a large lump of something
- hunkiness noun
- the quality of being hunky (rare)
Commonly confused: hunky or hunky-dory?
hunky vs hunky-dory
Hunky-dory is a separate informal phrase meaning fine or satisfactory, and it has nothing to do with a man's looks.
Practice
In which sentence is hunky used in its usual informal sense?
Choose one answer.
Hunky describes an attractive, muscular man, so it fits the lifeguard. It is not used for soup, buildings or reports.
Make it your own
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