Meanings
plural anoraks
- 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 - 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
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Greenlandicannoraaq
- Englishanorak
* Borrowed from Greenlandic annoraaq. * (person with obsessive interest): Originally referring to train spotters (because they would wear anoraks while looking out for trains).
More words from Greenlandic
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
anorak. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anorak
“anorak.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anorak. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “anorak,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anorak.
Source: anorak on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.