balkier; balkiest
: refusing or likely to refuse to proceed, act, or function as directed or expected
a balky mule
a balky engine
balkiness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of balky in a Sentence
a balky toddler who only seemed to know the word “no” when told to do something
Recent Examples on the Web
On Thursday, Ham explained that Russell had an injection in his balky left knee.
—
Janis Carr, Orange County Register, 9 Feb. 2024
Center Evan Brown left with a concussion and right tackle Abe Lucas continued to have issues with a balky knee.
—Tim Booth, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2024
Tommy John surgeries in 2012 and 2013, but he was derailed by a pair of balky knees in 2022 and 2023.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
On Saturday, reigning MVP Joel Embiid was a late scratch for Philadelphia because of a balky left knee.
—Pat Graham, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024
The local projects, which have received some federal money, would seemingly be targets for a lot more, but the balky progress makes that uncertain.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2024
But replacing the TrackPoint buttons with an uncharacteristically balky touchpad doesn't work for us, and we're put off by the missing USB-A and HDMI ports.
—Eric Grevstad, PCMAG, 1 Feb. 2024
The 65-year-old singer, who battled a balky knee in her last South Florida concert in 2019, would soon no longer be a performer who could command an arena.
—Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2024
Then this Kensington Orbit trackball mouse was balky and didn’t help with a type of wrist pain that can affect parents who pick up small children.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
Janis Carr, Orange County Register, 9 Feb. 2024
Center Evan Brown left with a concussion and right tackle Abe Lucas continued to have issues with a balky knee.
—Tim Booth, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2024
Tommy John surgeries in 2012 and 2013, but he was derailed by a pair of balky knees in 2022 and 2023.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
On Saturday, reigning MVP Joel Embiid was a late scratch for Philadelphia because of a balky left knee.
—Pat Graham, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024
The local projects, which have received some federal money, would seemingly be targets for a lot more, but the balky progress makes that uncertain.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2024
But replacing the TrackPoint buttons with an uncharacteristically balky touchpad doesn't work for us, and we're put off by the missing USB-A and HDMI ports.
—Eric Grevstad, PCMAG, 1 Feb. 2024
The 65-year-old singer, who battled a balky knee in her last South Florida concert in 2019, would soon no longer be a performer who could command an arena.
—Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2024
Then this Kensington Orbit trackball mouse was balky and didn’t help with a type of wrist pain that can affect parents who pick up small children.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'balky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
First Known Use
1831, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near balky
Cite this Entry
“Balky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balky. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
balky
adjective
balkier; balkiest
: likely to refuse to act or function as directed or expected
a balky mule
a balky engine
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