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hunky

1 of 2

adjective

hunkier; hunkiest
Synonyms of hunkynext
: being a hunk : attractive and usually well-built
the film's hunky leading man

Hunky

2 of 2

noun

Hun·​ky ˈhəŋ-kē How to pronounce Hunky (audio)
variants or less commonly Hunkie
plural Hunkies
dated, usually disparaging + offensive
: a person of central or east European birth or descent

Examples of hunky in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
No one was less prepared for people to care this much about these sweet, hunky boys than these sweet, hunky boys. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026 Everything in the season gets better in the second half — especially Calva, who initially comes across as a hunky-but-wan Roper substitute but eventually turns that apparent failing into the arc of a comprehensibly vulnerable performance. Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 11 Jan. 2026 Platonic pal/co-worker/womanizing roommate Eddie (the hunky Hugh Jackman) had asked her last-minute to attend a party, so Jane goes there looking for him. Kate Stroup, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025 This adaptation of her psychological thriller stars Dakota Johnson as a ghostwriter, Anne Hathaway as the best-selling author she’s hired to help, and Josh Hartnett as Hathaway’s hunky husband, who might just be hiding something. Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 22 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hunky

Word History

Etymology

Noun

alteration of Hungarian

First Known Use

Adjective

1890, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hunky was in 1890

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunky. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.

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