newyork.localmean.com/wack
Wack
WAK
Local meaning
Bad, low-quality, unappealing, unfair, or lacking skill, depending on what the speaker is judging.
Wack is a compact negative evaluation heard widely in hip-hop and everyday informal speech. A performance, decision, excuse, product, or situation can be wack, with the exact criticism supplied by context.
Example in context
- “Canceling after everybody arrived was wack.”
How it is used
Long associated with hip-hop-era urban speech and now widespread in informal American English.
critical, dismissive, sometimes playful
music, plans, products, behavior, reactions
Long associated with hip-hop-era urban speech and now widespread in informal American English.
Wack gives a verdict without explaining the problem. In serious feedback, name whether something is unfair, unreliable, unsafe, or simply not to your taste.
Spelling and scope
Long associated with hip-hop-era urban speech and now widespread in informal American English.
- Search forms
wack slang meaningwhack slang badthat is wack
LocalMean keeps common search spellings discoverable without claiming that every borough, community, or generation uses one written form.
Frequently asked questions
Does wack mean bad?
Yes. It commonly means bad, poor in quality, unappealing, or unacceptable.
Is wack spelled with or without h?
The slang adjective is commonly written wack. Whack has several other standard and slang meanings.
Read next
All words →Evidence and further reading
These sources support the regional association, dictionary sense, or broader spread. The entry remains open to correction from New York speakers and qualified reviewers.
- wackMerriam-Webster
Dictionary definition of wack as poor in skill or quality, not good, or unappealing.
- Geographic Variation in Slang SemanticsarXiv
Research showing that slang meanings and associations vary by geography and community.