Meaning of punk in English

Table of contents

Classifying Adjective
punk
Definitions
1. of very poor quality
Synonyms
- inferior
Noun
punk
Etymology
late 17th century (in punk (sense 3 of the noun)): perhaps, in some senses, related to archaic punk ‘prostitute’, also to spunk
Definitions
1. an aggressive and violent young criminal
Derived terms
- strong-arm
2. substance that smolders when ignited
Examples
- « used to light fuses (especially fireworks) »
3. material for starting a fire
Derived terms
- inflame
- kindle
4. a teenager or young adult who is a performer (or enthusiast) of punk rock and a member of the punk youth subculture
5. rock music with deliberately offensive lyrics expressing anger and social alienation
Examples
- « in part a reaction against progressive rock »

Famous quotes

« Punk has always been about doing things your own way. What it represents for me is ultimate freedom and a sense of individuality. »
Billie Joe Armstrong
« To avoid being mistaken for a sellout, I chose my friends carefully. The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos. The Marxist professors and structural feminists and punk-rock performance poets. »
Barack Obama
« I was in a really crummy pop-punk band. I think we did a whole bunch of Blink-182 covers, and we were on the fringe of losers and jocks. So we invited all the cool kids to come watch us play in our bass player's brother's bedroom. And it was terrible, but everyone thought we were so cool. »
Nate Ruess
« 'Untitled' is a time machine that can transport you to 1992, an edgy moment when the art world was crumbling, money was scarce, and artists like Tiravanija were in the nascent stages of combining Happenings, performance art, John Cage, Joseph Beuys, and the do-it-yourself ethos of punk. Meanwhile, a new art world was coming into being. »
Jerry Saltz
« I can play punk rock, and I love playing punk rock, but I was into every other style of music before I played punk rock. »
Travis Barker