What does poky mean?
Poky is an informal adjective describing something that is slow, weak, ineffective, or inconveniently small. When it describes a person, it usually suggests that the person is sluggish or lacking energy, often with a slightly teasing or dismissive tone. Applied to rooms, buildings, meals, or equipment, it can instead mean cramped, meager, or inadequate: a poky room may be too small, while a poky meal may be too meager to satisfy. The word is especially common in British English, though it is also understood and used in informal American English. Its usefulness lies in its ability to convey not merely slowness or smallness, but a combination of inconvenience and poor quality. The tone is generally conversational and evaluative, making it more suitable for criticism or description than for formal or neutral writing.
adjectivePoky means slow, weak, or lacking energy and effectiveness. It can also describe something small, cramped, or inadequate.
- Slow or sluggish in movement, operation, or progress.
- Small, cramped, or insufficiently spacious.
- Meager, poor, or inadequate in quality or quantity.
"After a long journey, we stopped at a poky roadside café for tea."
"The poky old printer took nearly an hour to produce a single page."
"They were given a poky room at the back of the hotel."
A word can be “poky” in two ways: painfully slow or too small for comfort, as in both a sluggish computer and a cramped apartment.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of poky
The origin of poky is uncertain. The word appears in English in the late 18th century, initially associated with slow or sluggish movement; its later use for things that are small, cramped, or inadequate developed from the idea of something limited or insufficient. Because the precise derivation is disputed, no firm cognates can be securely listed.
Related word forms
How poky is actually used
Informal and often mildly disparaging. It is especially common in British English but is also used in informal American English.