Etymologically
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chunky

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 23:18. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ˈt͡ʃʌŋki/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English chunk + -y.[2][3][4][5] The noun chunk, a short thick piece, is recorded from the 1690s and is probably a nasalized variant or alteration of chuck, a cut of meat or a short piece of wood.[3][2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of a person, broad and stout in build, thickset: 1749, in an advertisement in the Pennsylvania Gazette.[2] Etymonline dates the word to 1751 and calls it originally a colloquial American word,[3] Dictionary.com gives 1745–55 and also calls it an Americanism,[5] and Merriam-Webster dates it to 1733.[4]

Semantic evolution

From people the word spread to animals and things (1833), and then to food or other matter made up of large lumps (1886).[2] Today it is used for heavy, thick or bulky objects, such as chunky shoes or a chunky watch,[4] and in British use especially for clothes, above all knitwear, made of thick material.[6] In American drug slang chunky has been a name for hashish or marijuana.[7]

Timeline

  • 1749 – of a person, thickset.[2] Etymonline dates the word to 1751, Merriam-Webster to 1733.[3][4]
  • 1833 – of animals and things.[2]
  • 1886 – consisting of large lumps.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Short and broad in build; stocky or thickset: a chunky linebacker.[6][4][2]
  2. Heavy, solid and thick or bulky: He wore chunky boots and a wool scarf.[4][6]
  3. Of clothes, especially knitwear, made of thick material.[6]
  4. Containing thick pieces or lumps: chunky peanut butter.[6][2]

Word family

  • chunkily
  • chunkiness

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  7. ^ Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com