worky
Part of speech: adj
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: From work (noun) + -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’).
Base: work
Affixes: -y
Inflected forms:
form: workier
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: workiest
pos: adj
tags: superlative
Senses:
gloss: Characterized by or pertaining to work.
pos: adj
tags: informal
examples: The vvorky-daies are the back-part; / The burden of the vveek lies there, / Making the vvhole to ſtoup and bovv, / Till thy [God's] releaſe appeare.
I have had no duties of the worky sort except taking care of my own room, paying some attention to Mother and Ellen when sick and teaching Ellen and Richard two afternoons in the week.
[I]n poetry the lights are triumphant—and gazing on the glory men's hearts burn within them—and they carry the joy in among their own griefs, till despondency gives way to exultation, and the day's darg of this worky world is lightened by a dawn of dreams.
There is no end of the epigrams and witticisms which she can throw out, this elegant Mrs. T., on people who marry for love, lead prosy, worky lives, and put on their best cap with pink ribbons for Sunday.
These are not necessarily melancholy days; they are very worky, playful, enjoyable ones to those who keep well and busy.
The Fours are having a very worky morning.
If you're reading this, I've popped my clogs from too much worky-boring-thinky stuff and not enough menacing.
gloss: Especially of attire: appropriate for work.
pos: adj
tags: informal
examples: The problem with the meet-me-at-a-bar date is that I want to look as great as possible, without looking like I've made too much effort. Dresses feel too dressy, skirts too girly, tanks too booby, shirts too worky, and then of course we have the whole shoes issue.
The secretary prints out a schedule and gives us our e-mail log-in and password, then says, "Hold on a minute" and comes back with someone who looks like a student, except that her clothes are a little worky.
gloss: Requiring much work.
pos: adj
tags: informal
examples: Richard's Caſtle ſtandeth at the top of a very vvorky hill, vvell vvooded, and at the vveſt end of the Pariſh Church there.
Estate planners seldom recommend partial QTIP elections, and most people who create QTIPs, and their executors, don't bother with them. They're just too worky and complicated.
[N]ot only will you need pricey insurance, but you'll probably want to form a corporation or limited liability company to protect your personal assets. All this may be fine for someone in the real estate business, but is far too worky for a savvy peasant who already has a busy life.
If, in your state, foreclosures proceed without court supervision (nonjudicial foreclosure), then you'll have to bring your own lawsuit—a more worky and costly process.
Mom made sure we all knew the meaning of hard work, too. Many a Saturday morning began with the words I came to dread: "Today is the workiest of work days!" she would cheerfully announce. […] Mom had our full attention and a long list of chores to get done around the house.
Work is so worky today, y'all. We're short, we're proning three pts, and have paralyzed a fourth.
gloss: Tending to be very serious about work.
pos: adj
tags: informal
examples: Angelo has an important deadline, so he is all worky today.
[…] Jasper is lazy as a dawg, so he wouldn't be much use to you, but Sexton's more worky … he could help you pull your skiff.
You will come here first. Don't arrive of course sans le me faire savoir [without letting me know]. I am very busy, very worky.
Ye Gods, I know what would happen to me, if I knew what my liability was in advance. I would be the planniest, schemiest, workiest citizen to get that covered just like we cover our overhead.
Pam's always been very worky; now I'm worky, too. We're quite a worky couple, and if one of us isn't working at any given moment that person feels guilty before the other and has to explain and justify. That's why our relationship works, I think: because we work together on various projects. We don't have time to argue.
[T]he "workier" you are, the healthier you become. […] Your work is the most economic gymnasium of all time. Hard work doesn't kill; it only refines.
gloss: Showing the effect of much effort and work.
pos: adj
tags: informal
obsolete
examples: From England we came by the overland mail, / Waghorny quickly done; / […] / Where the sign of a dragon turns nobody pale; / But simply inspires a thought of pale ale, / With its whisky, frisky, worky, jerky, / Hoppery, poppery, spittery, bittery, / Frolicking frothy fun.
More water or meglip must be added as occasion requires [when painting on china]; but too much of the former is apt to produce a very worky appearance, and if too much of the latter is used the color will take a long time to dry.
Related words: working
workish
worklike
Translations: