: a person preoccupied with arcane details or procedures in a specialized field
Synonyms
Examples of wonk in a Sentence
the policy wonks in the government
the candidate has an army of policy wonks ready to write for him a position paper on virtually any issue
Recent Examples on the Web
Ask the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which is a bunch of economic wonks from various countries who get to work in a nice, leafy part of Paris.
—
John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2024
Sadly, crime policy is not driven by policy wonks who carefully analyze the data and try to strike the right balance between public safety and individual rights.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 16 Feb. 2024
Sullivan is more of an inside player, the relentless wonk at Biden’s side.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2023
For the wonks: The Biden administration didn’t trot out many surprises within the proposal.
—Bob Herman Reprints, STAT, 5 Feb. 2024
Read David’s full story—including much more technical detail, for the wonks among you!—here.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2023
Whereas Haley’s crowds include a fair share of policy wonks—political tourists from neighboring states, neutral envoys from the New Hampshire A.A.R.P.—Trump’s audience comes for him and for one another.
—Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2024
Medicare Advantage is arguably the most controversial health care program right now — a sentiment that was bolstered Friday by striking new data about overpayments and an uncommon political jab during a routine meeting of policy wonks.
—Bob Herman, STAT, 12 Jan. 2024
Exotic data, conversely, embraces flexibility and creative interpretation, often seen as unorthodox by traditional data wonks.
—Sarah Davanzo, Rolling Stone, 12 Dec. 2023
John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2024
Sadly, crime policy is not driven by policy wonks who carefully analyze the data and try to strike the right balance between public safety and individual rights.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 16 Feb. 2024
Sullivan is more of an inside player, the relentless wonk at Biden’s side.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2023
For the wonks: The Biden administration didn’t trot out many surprises within the proposal.
—Bob Herman Reprints, STAT, 5 Feb. 2024
Read David’s full story—including much more technical detail, for the wonks among you!—here.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2023
Whereas Haley’s crowds include a fair share of policy wonks—political tourists from neighboring states, neutral envoys from the New Hampshire A.A.R.P.—Trump’s audience comes for him and for one another.
—Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2024
Medicare Advantage is arguably the most controversial health care program right now — a sentiment that was bolstered Friday by striking new data about overpayments and an uncommon political jab during a routine meeting of policy wonks.
—Bob Herman, STAT, 12 Jan. 2024
Exotic data, conversely, embraces flexibility and creative interpretation, often seen as unorthodox by traditional data wonks.
—Sarah Davanzo, Rolling Stone, 12 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wonk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Wonk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wonk. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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