PUNK

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does punk mean? 

• PUNK (noun)
  The noun PUNK has 5 senses:

1. an aggressive and violent young criminal

2. substance that smolders when ignited; used to light fuses (especially fireworks)

3. material for starting a fire

4. a teenager or young adult who is a performer (or enthusiast) of punk rock and a member of the punk youth subculture

5. rock music with deliberately offensive lyrics expressing anger and social alienation; in part a reaction against progressive rock

  Familiarity information: PUNK used as a noun is common.

• PUNK (adjective)
  The adjective PUNK has 1 sense:

1. of very poor quality; flimsy

  Familiarity information: PUNK used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PUNK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An aggressive and violent young criminal

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

goon; hood; hoodlum; punk; strong-armer; thug; tough; toughie

Hypernyms ("punk" is a kind of...):

criminal; crook; felon; malefactor; outlaw (someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "punk"):

bully (a hired thug)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Substance that smolders when ignited; used to light fuses (especially fireworks)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("punk" is a kind of...):

igniter; ignitor; lighter (a substance used to ignite or kindle a fire)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Material for starting a fire

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

kindling; punk; spunk; tinder; touchwood

Hypernyms ("punk" is a kind of...):

igniter; ignitor; lighter (a substance used to ignite or kindle a fire)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A teenager or young adult who is a performer (or enthusiast) of punk rock and a member of the punk youth subculture

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

punk; punk rocker

Hypernyms ("punk" is a kind of...):

adolescent; stripling; teen; teenager (a juvenile between the onset of puberty and maturity)

Holonyms ("punk" is a member of...):

punks (a youth subculture closely associated with punk rock music in the late 1970s; in part a reaction to the hippy subculture; dress was optional but intended to shock (plastic garbage bags or old school uniforms) and hair was dyed in bright colors (in Mohican haircuts or sometimes spiked in bright plumes))

Sense 5

Meaning:

Rock music with deliberately offensive lyrics expressing anger and social alienation; in part a reaction against progressive rock

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

punk; punk rock

Hypernyms ("punk" is a kind of...):

rock; rock'n'roll; rock-and-roll; rock 'n' roll; rock and roll; rock music (a genre of popular music originating in the 1950s; a blend of black rhythm-and-blues with white country-and-western)

• PUNK (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of very poor quality; flimsy

Synonyms:

bum; cheap; cheesy; chintzy; crummy; punk; sleazy; tinny

Similar:

inferior (of low or inferior quality)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)