Standard Lemma guide

balky

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: B AO1 K IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Refusing to proceed or cooperate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a balky horse

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

stopping short and refusing to go on

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a balking
  • a balky mule
  • a balky customer

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: balking

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From balk + -y.