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
Rafters, ranchers, anglers, hydrologists, energy wonks, and government officials have coordinated in the past to keep water in the river.
—
Pete McBride, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Elsewhere in the world, perhaps such a technical-sounding government decision would fall to the domain of data wonks and financial consultants.
—Isabel Debre, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
The story skips over Ella’s rise from political wonk to lieutenant governor in the office of Albert Brooks’ avuncular Governor Bill.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Dec. 2025
Some industry insiders and policy wonks will say the public needs a few economics lessons.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wonk
Pete McBride, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Elsewhere in the world, perhaps such a technical-sounding government decision would fall to the domain of data wonks and financial consultants.
—Isabel Debre, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
The story skips over Ella’s rise from political wonk to lieutenant governor in the office of Albert Brooks’ avuncular Governor Bill.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Dec. 2025
Some industry insiders and policy wonks will say the public needs a few economics lessons.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wonk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wonk
Noun
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This is a must-do for botany nerds seeking a nature fix.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
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And the Model 3 appealed to tech nerds because it was packed with software-upgradeable tech like Autopilot and FSD.—
Brooke Crothers,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Noun
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If the snippets above mean anything to you, congratulations—you’re officially a watch geek.—
Victoria Gomelsky,
Robb Report,
13 May 2026
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Design geeks will love the adjacent historic cottages and wide stretch of coastline giving the setting a ye olde California postcard quality.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wonk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wonk. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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