English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwæŋkə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -æŋkə(ɹ)

Noun

wanker ‎(plural wankers) (Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand)

1. (vulgar) A person who wanks.
2. (slang, pejorative, vulgar) An idiot, a stupid, annoying or ineffectual person.
3. (slang, pejorative, vulgar) Someone who shows off too much, a poser or poseur; someone who is overly self-satisfied.
4. (slang, humorous, vulgar) A very informal address used between friends.

Usage notes

• Refers mainly to males. A study by several British broadcasting organizations found that "wanker" was the fourth most offensive word in the UK (after ****, ****, and ****).

Synonyms

• (person who wanks): masturbator, onanist, pickle tickler, fingerer
• (idiot):
  • (Australian) fuckwit
  • (UK) tosspot, tosser, bawbag, knobber, knobhead
  • (US) jerk, jerkoff

Derived terms

• wankerish
• merchant banker Rhyming slang often contracted as in He is a right merchant

Translations

Etymology 2

UK 1890s. From stwanker, from stinker. Used at Felsted School, Essex.

Noun

wanker ‎(plural wankers)

1. (obsolete, Britain, public school slang) A salted, and lightly smoked herring or mackerel; a bloater.
   • 1892 October, The Felstedian, page 105:

     My name it is "wanker";¶ a leaner or lanker,¶ Salter or ranker¶, fish never swam.

   • 1897 June, The Felstedian, page 100:

     He sniffs. "'Eugh, wankers again."

References

• Farmer, John Stephen (1900) The Public School Word-Book, London: Hirshfeld Brothers, page 217

Anagrams

• Newark