What does funkier mean?
Funkier is the comparative form of funky, meaning more funky — most commonly, more boldly stylish, unconventional, and fashionably offbeat, or, applied to music, carrying a stronger groove and danceable, soulful energy. It appears almost entirely in informal contexts: describing clothes, interiors, neighbourhoods, bands, and anything whose appeal lies in being vivid and unpolished rather than sleek and conventional. The parent word funky has an unexpected history: it originated as an American term for something with a bad, musty odour, and was adopted by jazz musicians in the mid-twentieth century to describe music with a raw, earthy, blues-inflected intensity. That musical sense broadened into today's association with retro-cool style, especially the fashions of the 1960s and 1970s. Funkier is useful precisely because it signals comparison — a funkier outfit, a funkier beat — and carries connotations of confidence, individuality, and playful irreverence rather than refinement.
adjective (comparative form of funky)The comparative form of funky: more funky, meaning more stylish in a bold, unconventional way or having a stronger, groovier quality of music and rhythm.
- More coolly stylish, unconventional, or fashionable in appearance or character.
- (Of music) having a stronger groove, rhythm, or soulful, danceable quality.
- (Older sense, inherited from funky) more offensively musty or smelly.
"The new café has funkier decor than the old one, with neon signs and mismatched furniture."
"She swapped her grey office suit for a funkier wardrobe of bright patterns and vintage jackets."
"The band's second album sounds funkier than the first, with basslines you can't help but move to."
Born in the smoke of jazz clubs, 'funky' originally meant something smelled bad — before musicians decided that earthy intensity was exactly what great music should have.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does funkier come from?
Funkier derives from funky, which emerged in English in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century meaning musty or ill-smelling, likely from a Dutch or Low German source related to the word funk (originally a spark or, later, a state of fear). In the mid-twentieth century, African-American jazz musicians reclaimed 'funky' to praise music with a strong, earthy, soulful groove, and the meaning shifted decisively toward the positive. From there it expanded into general informal usage for unconventional style, with funkier simply following standard comparative formation.
Related word forms
How funkier is actually used
Informal register throughout. The style/groove senses are overwhelmingly dominant today; the malodorous sense survives mainly as historical trivia or in older British usage.
Easily confused with funkier
Funky is the base adjective describing something stylish or groovy, while funkier is its comparative form used to compare two things.