whammy

noun
UK: /ˈwæmi/
US: /ˈhwæmi/

  1. A strong and negative force, effect, or influence.

    1. The bad weather put a whammy on our picnic.
    2. Losing their star player put a real whammy on the team's chances of winning the championship.

  2. A magic spell or curse.

    1. The witch put a whammy on the prince.
    2. Do you think someone put a whammy on the project, causing all these problems?

Synonyms

setback misfortune jinx affliction blow evil eye hex curse spell
whammy transitive-verb

  1. To affect negatively with a strong force or influence.

    1. The injury whammied his chances.
    2. High interest rates could whammy the housing market, causing a slowdown in sales.
whammy intransitive-verb

  1. To be affected negatively by a strong force or influence.

    1. The deal whammied, and was ultimately cancelled.
    2. The company whammied after the scandal became public, losing a lot of value.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "whammy" in English means: A strong and negative force, effect, or influence., A magic spell or curse..

The phonetic transcription of "whammy" is /ˈwæmi/ in British English and /ˈhwæmi/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "whammy": setback, misfortune, jinx, affliction, blow, evil eye, hex, curse, spell.

Example usage of "whammy": "The bad weather put a whammy on our picnic.". More examples on the page.