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Meaning & use

junky

adjective·Everydayinformal

Last updated

UK/ˈdʒʌŋki/
US/ˈdʒʌŋki/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparableinformaldisapproving

    Of very poor quality, cheap and likely to break or be worth nothing.

    Grammar: Can come before a noun or after a linking verb: a junky car, the car is junky.

    Patterns

    • a junky car
    • look junky

    He drove a junky old car that rattled at every turn.

    The toys were so junky that they broke on the first day.

    I regret buying such a junky phone case.

  2. adjectivecomparableinformaldisapproving

    Filled with unwanted or useless things, so that it looks messy.

    Grammar: Describes a place or space: a junky garage, not a junky person.

    Patterns

    • a junky room
    • junky with something

    Their garage was too junky to park a car in.

    The shop looked junky, with boxes piled to the ceiling.

    She cleared the junky corner of the attic over the weekend.

Word forms

comparativejunkier
superlativejunkiest

Common combinations

junky car
We shared a junky car that needed a push to start.
junky apartment
His junky apartment was stacked with old magazines.
junky furniture
The yard sale was full of junky furniture.
look junky
The cheap plastic flowers look junky up close.
junky food
After the trip we were tired of eating junky food at gas stations.

Synonyms and how they differ

shoddy
Shoddy describes poor workmanship, while junky is blunter and also covers things that are just cluttered.
cheap
Cheap simply says that something costs little, whereas junky says the quality is bad.
cluttered
Cluttered is a neutral word for a messy space, but it does not suggest that the contents are worthless as junky does.
trashy
Trashy is a harsher word that suggests poor taste as well as poor quality.

Opposites

well-madehigh-quality

Word family

junk noun
old or useless things of little value
junk verb
to throw something away as worthless
junkyard noun
an outdoor place where old vehicles and metal are kept
junkiness noun
the state of being junky

Commonly confused: junky or junkie?

junky vs junkie

Junkie is a different, often offensive word for a drug user or a fan, while junky as an adjective means shoddy or messy.

Practice

I returned the lamp because it was so ____ that the switch fell off in my hand.

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