hunky

1 of 2

adjective

ˈhəŋ-kē How to pronounce hunky (audio)
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
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Adjective
Ye-ji has a hunky hedge-fund-type husband, Sang-woo (Zo In-sung), who condescendingly tolerates, but doesn’t finance, his wife’s cinematic caprices. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026 Koslow’s screen career began in 1976 as the writer of the film Lifeguard, a ’70s-era Baywatch forerunner starring a hunky Sam Elliott and Anne Archer. — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026 Is there something unbecoming about casting the still-hunky Guy Pearce to play Rupert Murdoch? — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026 The show co-stars hunky heartthrob Stephen Michael Spencer, who plays a singer-songwriter in a Nashville open mike bar called the Wicked Tickle. — Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026 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

Phrases Containing hunky

Rhymes for hunky

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Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Hunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunky. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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