jank
Cheap, broken quality
Jank describes something that's poorly made, glitchy, or not working quite right.
The word originated in gaming communities to characterize buggy mechanics or clunky controls but has spread to general use for anything janky—shoddy, unreliable, or held together with the digital equivalent of duct tape.
The animation in that game has so much jank.
As an adjective, janky is more common: My janky old laptop crashes constantly.
Prone to malfunctions
- malfunctioningOperating incorrectly or failing
- brokenDamaged beyond function
- faultyHaving defects or errors
- buggedIrritated or surveilled
laggy · crashy · unstable · unreliable · dysfunctional · corrupted · borked · wonky
Lacking grace or ease
- ungainlyLacking ease of movement
- cumbersomeAwkwardly heavy or bulky
- clumsyLacking physical coordination
- inelegantLacking grace or refinement
unwieldy · lumbering · graceless · kludgy · unrefined · crude · rough-hewn · unpolished
Low in price
- flimsyWeak and easily damaged
- ricketyUnsteady, liable to collapse
- slapdashHasty and careless
- half-bakedInsufficiently planned or considered
cobbled · makeshift · ramshackle · kludgy · hacky · bodged · jury-rigged · slipshod
Cannot be anticipated
- erraticLacking regularity or consistency
- hit-or-missLacking consistent results
- spottyIrregular and unreliable
- unevenNot smooth or balanced
variable · patchy · intermittent · unreliable · temperamental · fickle · random · haphazard
glitchy
Prone to malfunctions
- malfunctioningOperating incorrectly or failing
- brokenDamaged beyond function
- faultyHaving defects or errors
bugged · laggy · crashy · unstable · unreliable · dysfunctional · corrupted · borked · wonky · erratic
awkward
Lacking grace or ease
- ungainlyLacking ease of movement
- cumbersomeAwkwardly heavy or bulky
- clumsyLacking physical coordination
inelegant · unwieldy · lumbering · graceless · kludgy · unrefined · crude · rough-hewn · unpolished · ham-fisted
cheap
Low in price
half-baked · cobbled · makeshift · ramshackle · kludgy · hacky · bodged · jury-rigged · slipshod · thrown-together
unpredictable
Cannot be anticipated
- erraticLacking regularity or consistency
- hit-or-missLacking consistent results
- spottyIrregular and unreliable
uneven · variable · patchy · intermittent · unreliable · temperamental · fickle · random · haphazard · irregular
- dev culturedebug, bug, code review, pull request, git
- browser renderingpaint, repaint, reflow, layout, compositing
jankreliable
Consistently performing as expected
stable · dependable · consistent · robust · rock-solid
janksleek
Smooth and elegant
elegant · streamlined · sophisticated · crisp · pristine