Punk — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun adjective /ˈpəŋk/

Meaning & Definition of Punk

Punk (noun)

  1. a usually petty gangster, hoodlum, or ruffian
  2. punk rock
  3. a punk rock musician
  4. wood so decayed as to be dry, crumbly, and useful for tinder
  5. a preparation (as of a stick of coated wood) that burns slowly and is used to ignite fuses especially of fireworks

Punk (adjective)

  1. of or relating to punk rock
  2. relating to or being a style (as of dress or hair) inspired by punk rock
  3. very poor, inferior

Punk (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. falling short of a standard

    "she plays a punk game of tennis, so you won't have any trouble beating her"

    similar: bad, bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy, deficient, dissatisfactory, ill, inferior, lame, lousy, off, paltry, poor, sour, suboptimal, subpar, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wack (slang), wanting, wretched, wrong, below par, from hunger
    related: abysmal, atrocious, awful, bitchin' (slang), brutal, damnable, deplorable, detestable, disastrous, dreadful, execrable, gnarly (slang), horrendous, horrible, pathetic, stinky, sucky (slang), terrible, unspeakable, defective, faulty, flawed, egregious, flagrant, gross, bum, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy (slang), cut-rate, junky, lesser, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, reprehensible, rotten, rubbishy, second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, trashy, abominable, odious, vile, useless, valueless, worthless, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, meager, mean, miserly, scanty, shabby, short, skimp, skimpy, spare, stingy, miscreant, scurrilous, villainous, counterfeit, fake, phony, sham
    opposite: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK, passable, respectable, satisfactory, standard, tolerable
    near: classic, classical, A1, bang-up, banner, boss (slang), capital, choice, crackerjack, dandy, divine, excellent, fabulous, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-test, jim-dandy, keen, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, par excellence, perfect, premium, prime, sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, unsurpassed, wonderful, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, special, sufficient, average, borderline, fair, mediocre, middling, minimal, so-so, unexceptional, suitable, useful, worthy, gratifying, satisfying

  2. extremely unsatisfactory

    "the acting in the movie ranged all the way from poor to punk"

    similar: abysmal, atrocious, awful, dismal, execrable, horrible, lousy, rotten, sucky (slang), terrible, wretched
    related: bad, deficient, inferior, off, poor, substandard, wanting, contemptible, miserable, shameful, defective, faulty, flawed, low-grade, mediocre, reprehensible, second-rate, bum, useless, valueless, worthless, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, abominable, damnable, fiendish, odious, vile
    opposite: bitchin' (slang), great, marvelous, wonderful
    near: choice, excellent, exceptional, first-class, first-rate, premium, prime, superior, adequate, sufficient, acceptable, satisfactory

  3. temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body

    "I've been feeling punk today"

    similar: ailing, bad, down, ill, indisposed, peaked, peaky, poorly, run-down, sick, sickened, unhealthy, unsound, unwell, out of sorts, under the weather
    related: symptomatic, cruddy, lousy, seedy, sickish, nauseated, nauseous, qualmish, queasy, squeamish, airsick, carsick, seasick, dizzy, light-headed, shaky, woozy, achy, feverish, diseased, disordered, decrepit, feeble, fragile, frail, infirm, invalid, sickly, weak, weakly, afflicted, troubled, debilitated, disabled, incapacitated, hypochondriac, hypochondriacal
    opposite: hale, healthful, healthy, sound, well, whole, wholesome
    near: able-bodied, conditioned, fit, well-conditioned, cured, better, convalescing, improved, mending, recovering, recuperating, rehabilitated, hardy, hearty, lusty, robust, rugged, stalwart, strong, tough, blooming, bouncing, chipper, flourishing, flush, thriving

Punk (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a person who is just starting out in a field of activity

    "an impertinent punk who was trying to tell senior colleagues how to do their jobs"

    similar: abecedarian, apprentice, babe, beginner, colt, cub, fledgling, freshman, greenhorn, neophyte, newbie, newcomer, novice, novitiate, recruit, rook, rookie, tenderfoot, tyro, virgin
    related: boot, amateur, dabbler, dilettante, learner, student, trainee, candidate, entrant, probationer
    opposite: old hand, old-timer, vet, veteran
    near: expert, master, pro, professional

  2. a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang

    "the vigilante was hailed by some as a hero for standing up to the punks who had repeatedly threatened his family"

    similar: bully, gangbanger, gangsta, gangster, goon, gorilla, hood, hoodlum, hooligan, mobster, mug, plug-ugly, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian, thug, tough, toughie, yob (British), yobbo (British)
    related: cutthroat, scoundrel, villain, assassin, bandit, bravo, brigand, criminal, crook, desperado, felon, gunman, highwayman, lawbreaker, mafioso, malefactor, offender, outlaw, perp, perpetrator, pirate, pickpocket, racketeer, robber, swindler, thief, vandal, juvenile delinquent, tearaway (British)

  3. language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense

    "claims made by cosmetic companies about their antiaging creams that turned out to be a lot of punk"

    similar: applesauce (slang), balderdash, baloney, beans, bilge, blah, blarney, blather, blatherskite, blither, bosh, bull (slang), bunk, bunkum, claptrap, codswallop (British), crapola (slang), crock, drivel, drool, fiddle, fiddle-faddle, fiddlesticks, flannel (British), flapdoodle, folderol, folly, foolishness, fudge, garbage, guff, hogwash, hokeypokey, hokum, hoodoo, hooey, horsefeathers (slang), humbug, humbuggery, jazz, malarkey, moonshine, muck, nerts (slang), nonsense, nuts, piffle, poppycock, rot, rubbish, senselessness, silliness, slush, stupidity, taradiddle, tommyrot, tosh, trash, trumpery, twaddle
    related: absurdity, asininity, fatuity, foolery, idiocy, imbecility, inaneness, inanity, insanity, kookiness, lunacy, absurdness, craziness, madness, witlessness, hoity-toity, monkey business, monkeyshine(s), shenanigan(s), tomfoolery, gas, hot air, rigmarole, double-talk, greek, hocus-pocus
    near: levelheadedness, rationality, reasonability, reasonableness, sensibleness, common sense, horse sense, sense, discernment, judgment, wisdom

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Punk

The most common words with a similar meaning to Punk:

Slang: wack, sucky, applesauce, bull, crapola, horsefeathers, nerts
British: yob, yobbo, codswallop, flannel
bad, bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy, deficient, dissatisfactory, ill, inferior, lame, lousy, off, paltry, poor, sour, suboptimal, subpar, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wanting, wretched, wrong, abysmal, atrocious, awful, dismal, execrable, horrible, rotten, terrible, ailing, down, indisposed, peaked, peaky, poorly, run-down, sick, sickened

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Punk

Words with the opposite meaning of Punk:

acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK, passable, respectable, satisfactory, standard, tolerable, bitchin', great, marvelous, wonderful, hale, healthful, healthy, sound, well, whole, wholesome, old hand, old-timer, vet, veteran

Related Words for Punk

bitchin', brutal, damnable, deplorable, detestable, disastrous, dreadful, gnarly, horrendous, pathetic, stinky, unspeakable, defective, faulty, flawed, egregious, flagrant, gross, bum, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy, cut-rate, junky, lesser, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable

Near Antonyms of Punk

classic, classical, A1, bang-up, banner, boss, capital, choice, crackerjack, dandy, divine, excellent, fabulous, first-class, first-rate, grand, groovy, heavenly, high-test, jim-dandy, keen, mean, neat, nifty, noble, par excellence, perfect, premium, prime, sensational

Word Forms of Punk

Inflections: punks

Derived words: punkish (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Punk

origin unknown

First known use: circa 1575

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Punk

Words & Phrases Containing Punk

punky, punk rock

Frequently Asked Questions about Punk

What does "Punk" mean?

"Punk" means a usually petty gangster, hoodlum, or ruffian. As an a noun and an adjective, it is defined as: a usually petty gangster, hoodlum, or ruffian. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Punk"?

Other words for "Punk" include bad, bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy, deficient, dissatisfactory and ill. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Punk" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Punk"?

There are 315 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Punk". Common alternatives include bad, bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy, deficient, dissatisfactory, ill, inferior and lame.

What is a slang word for "Punk"?

Slang words for "Punk" include wack, sucky, applesauce, bull, crapola and horsefeathers.

What is the opposite of "Punk"?

Antonyms of "Punk" include acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK, passable and respectable. Near antonyms include classic, classical, A1 and bang-up.

How do you use "Punk" in a sentence?

Examples of "Punk" in a sentence: "she plays a punk game of tennis, so you won't have any trouble beating her"; "the acting in the movie ranged all the way from poor to punk"; "I've been feeling punk today".

Is "Punk" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Punk" can be used as a noun and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Punk" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Punk" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.