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The origin of whammy is not entirely certain, but it is assumed to have been created by combining wham (a solid blow) with the whimsical -y ending. The first example of whammy in print occured in 1940, but the word was popularized in the 1950s by the cartoonist Al Capp in the comic strip Li'l Abner. The character Evil-Eye Fleegle could paralyze someone with the sheer power of his gaze. The single whammy was a look with one eye, and the fearsome double whammy used both eyes. As you may know, double whammy has also found a place in English as a general term. It means "a combination of two adverse forces, circumstances, or effects" - in other words, a one-two punch.
Examples of whammy in a Sentence
Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 10 Feb. 2026
Sounds like a double-whammy downer.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
Yes, the quadruple whammy of high food costs, a severe immigrant labor shortage, spiraling rents and shrinking waistlines drove some restaurants to close.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Dec. 2025
The double-whammy of a late start time and sunset coming an hour earlier means many runners are finishing in near darkness.
—Kristen Geil, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Whammy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whammy. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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