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funky

funky

17 6.5
Has a strong, soulful rhythm like old jazz
  • adjective
  • /ˈfʌŋki/
translation icon : funky
  • Inside the cab, playing on the radio, is Angelique Kidjo's funky song "Batonga."
  • funky beat
  • funky music
  • funky groove

Oh yeah, bit more funky, bit more up tempo, bit more strut mode.

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Examples

  • With some groovy breaks and funky chopped-up vocal samples, you'll be grooving out to Kill Frenzy's newest EP for a while.

    Blog text (11)
  • The title track displays the jazzy/funky piano work, and next there's the acoustic version of the Lennon/McCartney song "Blackbird."

    Blog text (7)
  • Play that funky music white boy.

  • Get down, get funky, get loose!

  • That funky music will drive us till the dawn.

  • I woke up to Louise playing a funky tune.

    Blog text (1)
  • When we toured last fall, we found ourselves improvising these lovely, funky bits to warm up at sound check.

    Blog text (3)
  • "History" is the longest cut on the album and has a very nice, funky horn riff at its core, including a great trombone solo.

    Blog text (7)
  • So the church that we can go to, I've never been there before, but there was a label in Memphis called, "Designer," in the '70s, and they put out like really, like rocking, funky gospel records.

  • The band played a funky tune that got everyone on the dance floor.

Synonyms

jazzy
vsfunky
8 5.8

Lively and bright in sound or style with a strong rhythm

leans more toward soulful blues feeling and improvisation than brightness
low-down
vsfunky
  • US
1 7.9

Sounding raw and soulful like early blues

emphasizes distinctive rhythms and improvisation rather than raw old blues feel
jazzlike
vsfunky
5.6

Lively and showy with sudden changes like music made up as you go

is more focused on soulful blues feeling and strong rhythms

How Soulful

soulful
32 4.5
bluesy
5 5.5
funky
17 6.5
jazzy
8 5.8

Surface Forms

funky positive

Morphology

funky = funk (transparent) = funk + y

Direct adjectival formation from the musical genre 'funk' meaning 'characteristic of funk music'.

Etymology

Funky comes from funk, a word musicians used for a deep, earthy 'feeling' or 'groove' in music, so funky jazz means music with a strong, soulful rhythm and a lively groove.