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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Example Sentences
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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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But singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney’s 14th album leans into their back-to-basics side with a collection of tunes by other artists, inspired by these lifelong friends’ shared journey as deep record nerds.—
Jon Dolan,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2026
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While baseball nerds are busy playing with their analytics, those of us who miss balls to the wall baseball are reminded today that it's been 43 years since Chicago Cubs' Lee Elia let loose with one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, managerial rants in the history of sports.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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See video … ASRA NOMANI — Suspect in WHCD operated and lived in an ecosystem that too him from nerdy geek to attacker.—
,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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But Sandy is the sci-fi geek of the family.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wonk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wonk. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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