as in nerd
a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits
the candidate has an army of policy wonks ready to write for him a position paper on virtually any issue
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Recent Examples of wonk
He’s written 14 books, and not just for security wonks.
—
Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 2 May 2025
Voters are more dubious of technocrats, policy wonks, and academics committed to foreign aid.
—Zainab Usman, Foreign Affairs, 5 May 2025
Social Security is the third rail of American politics
Social Security advocates say Trump and Musk, the tech billionaire, are learning a lesson absorbed by many politicians and policy wonks before them.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
As the noise about tariffs increases on a daily basis, some retail policy wonks began to search for historical perspective.
—Rick Helfenbein, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wonk
Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 2 May 2025
Voters are more dubious of technocrats, policy wonks, and academics committed to foreign aid.
—Zainab Usman, Foreign Affairs, 5 May 2025
Social Security is the third rail of American politics
Social Security advocates say Trump and Musk, the tech billionaire, are learning a lesson absorbed by many politicians and policy wonks before them.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
As the noise about tariffs increases on a daily basis, some retail policy wonks began to search for historical perspective.
—Rick Helfenbein, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wonk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wonk
Noun
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Bike nerds who are fans of data will dig the ELEMNT Bolt V2.—
Drew Zieff,
Outside Online,
8 July 2025
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Its list, which includes countless bottles of dead stock, boasts vintage spirits that would impress any booze nerd.—
Esther Tseng,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 June 2025
Noun
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For the theater geeks, watch experimental shows at the Fringe Festival.—
Caroline Ritzie,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
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Some questions are for casual fans; others are strictly for the hardcore geeks.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
29 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wonk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wonk. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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