balky

pigheaded; contrary; stubborn; obstinate; perverse; mulish: The balky child refused to put on her shoes.

Not to be confused with:

bulky – large and cumbersome; massive; ponderous; unwieldy: The bulky package was hard to maneuver through the door.

balk·y

(bô′kē)

adj. balk·i·er, balk·i·est

1. Given to stopping and refusing to go on: a balky horse; a balky client.

2. Difficult to operate or start: a balky switch; a balky engine.

balk′i·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

balky

(ˈbɔːkɪ; ˈbɔːlkɪ) or

baulky

adj, balkier, balkiest, baulkier or baulkiest

inclined to stop abruptly and unexpectedly: a balky horse.

ˈbalkily, ˈbaulkily adv

ˈbalkiness, ˈbaulkiness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

balk•y

(ˈbɔ ki)

adj. balk•i•er, balk•i•est.

given to balking; stubborn; obstinate.

[1840–50]

balk′i•ly, adv.

balk′i•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.

balky - stopping short and refusing to go on; "a balking"; "a balky mule"; "a balky customer"

balking

intractable - not tractable; difficult to manage or mold; "an intractable disposition"; "intractable pain"; "the most intractable issue of our era"; "intractable metal"

balky

adjective

Given to acting in opposition to others:

contrarious, contrary, difficult, froward, impossible, ornery, perverse, wayward.

Translations

störrisch

caparbio

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

"Yes, Amy was in despair that day, for all the good beasts were gone, and of three left, one was lame, one blind, and the other so balky that you had to put dirt in his mouth before he would start.

View in context

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Wrestling with a balky putter in the final nine on Tuesday, Yuka Saso settled for a one-under-par 70 for a share of the Champion Philippine Ladies Open lead with Mafi Singson and a Thai at posh Manila Golf Club inside Forbes Park in Makati.

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Joel Embiid stretched his balky back each time he had a moment's rest.

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A similar sort of flub appeared in USA Today April 1, 2014): "The balky back that's forcing [Tiger Woods] to miss next week's Masters is surely the death knell in his quest for Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championships.

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Curiosity had obtained 15 samples on Mars before issues began cropping up with the balky drill feed in October 2016, which led to a temporary suspension of drilling operations.

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The 5-foot-9 Thomas had bravely carried the Celtics in the 2017 postseason despite a balky hip and broken heart following his sister's death in a car crash.

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Caption: If you have an orthopedic problem, such as balky knees, a top-flight surgeon can be invaluable.

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