Standard Lemma guide

gunk

noun · verb · 6 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.

  • /ɡʌŋk/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʌŋk

1

noun

Meaning 1

Grime, dirt, slime; any vague, messy, or unknown substance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, uncountable

Examples

  • I washed all the gunk off the light fixture, and found that it was white, not brown.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: goo, goop, grime, gunge, muck

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A subculture of 21st century American males, combining elements of modern gothic culture with punk rock.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An entity with no atomic parts; infinitely divisible.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A member of the gunk subculture.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To soil or make dirty.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: befoul, muck, slur, assoil, beclart, bedaub, bedirty, imbrue (especially with blood), bedizen, befile, befilth, begrime, beray, beshit, besmear, besmirch, besully, bewray, blacken, blot, blur, clat, contaminate, darken, defile, dirten, dirty, elt, file, foil, foul, gunk, gunk up, inquinate, scunge, sling mud, slotter, smear, smirch, smudge, smut, smutch, soil, soss, sowl, spot, stain, sullow, sully, tarnish, uggle

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

any thick, viscous matter

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sludge, slime, goo, goop, gook, guck, muck, ooze

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: matter

Narrower terms: sapropel

History

Etymology

Apparently from Gunk, trademark name for a liquid soap; perhaps taken as a blend of grime + funk.

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: лепкав отпадък (lepkav otpadǎk) — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Czech: sajrajt — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Czech: maglajz — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Czech: sliz — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Finnish: töhnä — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Finnish: moska — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • French: saleté — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • German: Dreck — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • German: Schleim — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • German: Schmiere — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • German: Schmodder — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • German: Schmutz — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Italian: sudiciume — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Norwegian Bokmål: guffe — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Norwegian Bokmål: smørje — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Portuguese: sujeira — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Russian: грязь (grjazʹ) — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Spanish: porquería — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Spanish: mugre — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Spanish: pringue — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Spanish: tizne — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Spanish: cochambre — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Spanish: suciedad — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Swedish: gegga — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Swedish: kladd — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Swedish: smörja — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Turkish: balgam — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Turkish: pislik — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Turkish: yağlı/yapışkan madde — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance
  • Ukrainian: бруд (brud) — dirt or grime; any vague or unknown substance