anorak

A1N1O1R1A1K5
/ˈænəɹæk/

noun

A heavy weatherproof jacket with an attached hood; a parka or windcheater.

UncommonScrabble 10

Meanings

nounanorak (plural anoraks)

plural anoraks

  1. A heavy weatherproof jacket with an attached hood; a parka or windcheater.

    Don't ever use the hood on your anorak; and, if you do, for heaven's sake don't pull the string tight so that you peep out like a little baby in a siren suit.

    1980, Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book, page 61
  2. UKslangA person with an unusual or obsessive interest in a niche subject, especially trains.

    He has described himself as the uber-geek, an anorak's anorak, a standard bearer for fellow Star Trekkies everywhere, and his air of bland, amiable bafflement has served him remarkably well in a string of TV and film roles.

    2007 February 15, Maev Kennedy, “I used to say he was England's answer to John Cusack. Now I think he's England's answer to Jack Lemmon”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 24 Jan 2025

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna kind of heavy jacket

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Greenlandicannoraaq
  2. Englishanorak

* Borrowed from Greenlandic annoraaq. * (person with obsessive interest): Originally referring to train spotters (because they would wear anoraks while looking out for trains).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans anorak, windbaajie
  • anorakheavy weatherproof jacket
  • windbaajieheavy weatherproof jacket
  • parkaheavy weatherproof jacket
Catalan anorac
  • anoracheavy weatherproof jacket
Chinese Mandarin 皮猴兒 /皮猴儿
  • 皮猴兒 /皮猴儿 (píhóur)heavy weatherproof jacket
Czech bunda, zimní bunda
  • bundaheavy weatherproof jacket
  • zimní bundaheavy weatherproof jacket
Danish anorak
  • anorakheavy weatherproof jacket
Esperanto anorako
  • anorakoheavy weatherproof jacket
Finnish anorakki
  • anorakkiheavy weatherproof jacket
French anorak
  • anorakheavy weatherproof jacket
German Anorak, Sonderling
  • Anorakheavy weatherproof jacket
  • Sonderlinggeek or nerd
  • Eigenbrötlergeek or nerd
  • schrullige Persongeek or nerd
Greek άνορακ
  • άνορακ (ánorak)heavy weatherproof jacket
Hungarian anorák
  • anorákheavy weatherproof jacket
Indonesian anorak
  • anorakheavy weatherproof jacket
Italian giacca a vento
  • giacca a ventoheavy weatherproof jacket
Japanese アノラック
  • アノラック (anorakku)heavy weatherproof jacket
Korean 아노락
  • 아노락 (anorak)heavy weatherproof jacket
Norwegian Bokmål anorakk
  • anorakkheavy weatherproof jacket
Polish anorak
  • anorakheavy weatherproof jacket
Portuguese quispo, anoraque
  • quispoheavy weatherproof jacket
  • anoraqueheavy weatherproof jacket
Russian анора́к, ветро́вка
  • анора́к (anorák)heavy weatherproof jacket
  • ветро́вка (vetróvka)heavy weatherproof jacket
Scottish Gaelic anarag
  • anaragheavy weatherproof jacket
Spanish anorak
  • anorakheavy weatherproof jacket
Swedish anorak
  • anorakheavy weatherproof jacket
Welsh anorac, anoracs
  • anoracheavy weatherproof jacket
  • anoracsheavy weatherproof jacket

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

anorak. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anorak

MLA

“anorak.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anorak. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “anorak,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anorak.

Source: anorak on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.