as in nerd
a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits
the candidate has an army of policy wonks ready to write for him a position paper on virtually any issue
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Recent Examples of wonk
In recent years, wonks in both parties have begun to focus on government inefficiency as a problem.
—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
Budget wonks have cited challenges in estimating the long-term effects of a policy that Trump has repeatedly altered and delayed at rates ranging from 10% to 50%.
—Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 11 June 2025
Actually using tariffs to finance a big chunk of the federal government would be a painful and perilous undertaking, budget wonks say.
—Arkansas Online, 8 June 2025
As a multiple, there are three versions of my childhood: mine and the versions that belong to each of my brothers, cast in their specific wonk of memory.
—Literary Hub, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wonk
Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
Budget wonks have cited challenges in estimating the long-term effects of a policy that Trump has repeatedly altered and delayed at rates ranging from 10% to 50%.
—Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 11 June 2025
Actually using tariffs to finance a big chunk of the federal government would be a painful and perilous undertaking, budget wonks say.
—Arkansas Online, 8 June 2025
As a multiple, there are three versions of my childhood: mine and the versions that belong to each of my brothers, cast in their specific wonk of memory.
—Literary Hub, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wonk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wonk
Noun
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Catchers need breaks, and regression is every baseball nerd’s favorite word.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
20 July 2025
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Showrunner Tony Tost was truly an angel, and everyone on board were such freak-ass nerds about TV and cinema, and were so excited to share all these reference points with me, like Colombo.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 July 2025
Noun
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For the theater geeks, watch experimental shows at the Fringe Festival.—
Caroline Ritzie,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
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Some questions are for casual fans; others are strictly for the hardcore geeks.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
29 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wonk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wonk. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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