Meanings
comparative more hunky dory · superlative most hunky dory · alternative hunky-dory · alternative hunkydory · alternative hunkidory · alternative hunky dorey · alternative hunky-dorey · alternative hunkydorey
- informalSatisfactory, fine.
Now that I’ve found my missing book, everything’s hunky-dory again.
5 more examples
It was no easy job, I can tell you. We worked like beavers to get the cave the way we wanted it; but when it was done, it was what you may call hunky-dory.
1880 January 6, Mrs. Frank McCarthy, “How Aunt Pam Became a Smuggler”, in Harper's Young PeopleBut you just go on lovin' him, and leanin' on his judgement—he's no fool—and you'll be all hunky-dory.
1913 October, Jack London, The Valley of the Moon, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLCBut you seem to be feeling all hunky-dory again, and why don’t you come join us in the Good Citizens’ League, old man?
1922, Sinclair Lewis, Babbitt, New York, N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace and Company, →OCLC“Francine!” “(gasps) Stan! You scared me.” “I scared you? You're scaring me. What are you doing here?” “I'm working.” “Working? You're acting crazy.” “This isn't crazy. Crazy is how I used to act, pretending everything was hunky-dory.” “Look, I don't want to do this here. It's time to go home!” “No, let go! I'm working!” “Hey, this guy bothering you, Fran?” “No. He was just leaving.”
2016 April 25, Sam Brenner, “Widow's Pique” (14:38 from the start), in American Dad!, season 13, episode 13, spoken by Francine Smith (Wendy Schaal)“OK, it’s associated with a specific tumor type, but does that just mean that it’s living hunky-dory with the tumor, or is it actually causing the tumor to get bigger and progress?” Dr. Galloway-Peña asked. “You just don’t know at this point.”
2022 September 29, Carl Zimmer, “A New Approach to Spotting Tumors: Look for Their Microbes”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 26 Dec 2022Synonyms: alright, fine, tickety-boo, right as rain
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveSatisfactory, fine.
Origin
American English, 1860s. From hunky (“in good condition”, “safe and sound”) + dory (origin and meaning unknown).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Polish cacy
- cacyinformal way to say satisfactory
Cite this entry
hunky dory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hunky%20dory
“hunky dory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hunky%20dory. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hunky dory,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hunky%20dory.
Source: hunky dory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.