How to Use punky in a Sentence

punky

adjective
  • The punky style added a dose of fun to her casual fit, and also felt fresh.
    — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2022
  • Weak Links More posh than punky, chunky chain-link bags are still trending.
    — Sara Holzman, Marie Claire, 24 Sep. 2021
  • At 41, Sarah sports a two-inch-long soft, spiked, punky hairdo.
    — Gerald Witt, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
  • Inside, Le Grand met the two French guys, who had short, punky dark hair.
    — David Kushner, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Its best moments are those that detail how fans relate to the singer’s punky poetry.
    — Dallas News, 25 Aug. 2022
  • Despite the heightened venue, the band retained its punky ethos at the world’s most famous arena.
    — William Earl, Variety, 19 Aug. 2023
  • Lawrence paired more juicy red lips with lashings of mascara and punky eyeshadow combos to match a then-more edgy style.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Father Christmas himself takes it on the chin in this punky Kinks classic.
    — Gwen Ihnat, EW.com, 21 Dec. 2022
  • Lau has short, punky hair and wore a surgical mask and a thrift-store jacket with straitjacket-style buckles.
    — Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2020
  • Still, the personality is there, adding a punky touch with a fresh set of micro-bangs that sit well above her eyebrows.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The punky, counterculture drink, sized like a tall boy and adorned with a melting skull, has drawn droves of fans on social media.
    — Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 29 Oct. 2022
  • Always one to add a punky twist, Rodrigo opted for a black mani-pedi, giving the look a vampy touch.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 16 Aug. 2023
  • Just ask Olivia Rodrigo, who has made the skirt suit her preppy, punky signature.
    — Steff Yotka, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2021
  • Or go in the complete opposite direction with a punky textured pixie.
    — Loren Savini, Allure, 4 Dec. 2025
  • The punky look was a major contrast, compared to her polished June 2024 look.
    — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 9 Mar. 2026
  • The track builds to a hard-rocking stomp and, later, a punky gallop, but throughout, the sense of desolation remains.
    — Hank Shteamer, SPIN, 24 Apr. 2023
  • The show debuted last summer as a loopy crime caper, with a crew of teen petty larcenists staring down a rival gang of punky-cute badasses.
    — Darren Franich, EW.com, 3 Aug. 2022
  • Sky Ferreira fans were starting to give up hope that the punky pop star would ever release new music again, but the day is finally here.
    — Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2022
  • The brand is best known for punky silver bracelets, carabiners, pendants and signet rings, all handcrafted in Bali and sold online.
    — Ardian Wibisono, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
  • Now her style is more gothic than glamor, featuring punky ponytails, choppy micro bangs and an undercut.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
  • The title track has a familiar punky, power poppy, indie rocky approach with harmonies, big guitar, and hooks on hooks on hooks.
    — Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 26 Dec. 2025
  • The two sets will showcase their versatility across genres such as punky alternative, funky rock ‘n’ roll, garage-y psych-rock and spacey prog.
    — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Yang partying with punky cyborgs when the family was away, or donning the orange socks and making out with Kyra in the laundry room.
    — The New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2022
  • From rising star Lashana Lynch’s red lip to Florence Pugh’s punky new image, here are the best beauty looks from the night.
    — Tish Weinstock, Vogue, 14 Mar. 2022
  • In reality, Pee-wee Herman was nothing like us at all, a dreamy man-child in a red bow tie whose sugary smile could curl into a punky scowl.
    — Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2023
  • Rock music can be punishingly punky and fast and loud, like Fishbone, or smooth and rich like the Doobie Brothers.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2022
  • Poison Heart checks all the boxes, a combination that melds a punky, people-watching hot spot with an innovative test kitchen.
    — Mary Lebus, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Dec. 2025
  • This year, the brand was reborn (and abbreviated, to Pellat-Finet) without the punky flourishes for which it was once known.
    — Kareem Rashed, Robb Report, 19 Nov. 2022
  • The singer-guitarist regularly checked in to make sure audience members were hydrated and doing okay, but didn’t let the heat keep her from packing in a punch with her band’s punky set.
    — Annie Nickoloff, cleveland, 29 Aug. 2022
  • For go-go beauty looks, models wore a blend of 90s polish mixed with punky rawness, a nod to the brand’s heritage, without being too referential.
    — Kathleen Hou, ELLE, 9 Sep. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'punky.' 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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