BALKY (balkier, balkiest)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: balkier    , balkiest   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does balky mean? 

• BALKY (adjective)
  The adjective BALKY has 1 sense:

1. stopping short and refusing to go on

  Familiarity information: BALKY used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BALKY (adjective)

Comparative: balkier   
Superlative: balkiest   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Stopping short and refusing to go on

Synonyms:

balking; balky

Context example:

a balky customer

Similar:

intractable (not tractable; difficult to manage or mold)

Derivation:

balk (an illegal pitching motion while runners are on base)

balkiness (likely to stop abruptly and unexpectedly)

 Context examples 

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.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)