adjective
also pokey ˈpōkē, -ki
( usually pokier usually pokiest )
Etymology: poke (II) + -y
1.
a. : uncomfortably small or cramped and marked typically by lack of proper ventilation and lighting and by a generally unattractive appearance
lived in a series of poky houses, surrounded by a swarm of children — V.S.Pritchett
poky , hole-in-the-wall shops — Faubion Bowers
inspected the cheerless, poky rooms with their cheap furniture and threadbare carpets — Valentine Williams
b. : stagnating with general dullness and provincialism : stodgy , one-horse
had no desire to remain in that poky little town
2.
a. : devoid of style, imagination, and taste : dowdy
was dressed in the pokiest way imaginable
b. : devoid of freshness, liveliness, or interest : unstimulating , dull , dead
is certainly a poky place to go for a vacation
has a poky way of writing
3.
a. : that is typical of a fuddy-duddy : prim and overly conservative : strait-laced and not up to date
just a timid … poky little creature worrying like a mole — Saul Bellow
b. : tediously concerned with what is obvious, trifling, or boring
it feels merely poky to say one thing more — William Empson
c. : not easily excited or aroused : ponderously phlegmatic
is a poky individual with little interest in the world about him
4. : that moves or acts like a slowpoke : annoyingly slow : that pokes along
infuriated with the poky traffic
is too poky to get anything done efficiently
asked her not to be so poky