balkiest
|balk-i-est|
🇺🇸
/ˈbɑːlki/
🇬🇧
/ˈbɔːlki/
(balky)
refusing to cooperate or work
Etymology
'balky' originates from English, specifically formed from the noun 'balk' plus the adjective-forming suffix '-y'.
'balk' changed from Middle English 'baulk' (or 'balk'), which was borrowed from Old Norse 'balkr' meaning 'ridge' or 'beam', and eventually the modern adjective 'balky' developed in English to describe someone or something that 'refuses' or 'obstructs'.
Initially, 'balk' referred to a 'beam, ridge, or partition (an obstacle)'; over time the idea of an obstacle led to the verb sense 'to stop or refuse to proceed,' and the adjective 'balky' came to mean 'given to refusing or obstructing' (hence 'balkiest' = the most so).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
superlative form of 'balky'.
He was the balkiest member of the team.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 2
most unwilling to proceed, comply, or function; especially of a person, animal, or machine that most readily refuses to move or work.
Of all the horses at the fair, that was the balkiest — it refused to step into the trailer.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/05 18:42