Pukka

/ˈpʌkə/ · adjective

Meaning

(originally South Asia) Genuine or authentic; hence of behaviour: correct, socially acceptable or proper..

Definitions by Sense

1. (originally South Asia) Genuine or authentic; hence of behaviour: correct, socially acceptable or proper.
2. (South Asia) Constructed as a permanent building, with high-quality materials (especially fired clay bricks and tiles as opposed to unfired mud and thatch).
3. (British, slang) Superior or of high quality; first-class; excellent.

Example Sentences

Maha Rajah said it was necessary to witness it to make it pukka; and they said so too, and then signed it.

The measures which resulted in the crushing of the mutiny within the Five Rivers, were unquestionably pukka. […] Pukka and kucha statesmanship are, indeed, two things which time rarely fails to detect, just as it tries the durability of a public building or a bridge.

Mrs. S[mart].— […] Are you not aware, Fanny, that he [Lieut. Marsden] is only Acting-Assistant Sub-Deputy Inspector? Do you imagine that I should give my child to a man whose appointment was not pucka? / F[anny].—But, Mamma, is Mr. Cholmondeley's appointment pucka? / Mrs. S.—How can you talk such nonsense, child? […] Mr. Cholmondeley is a landed gentleman, and draws twelve thousand rupees a month from his estates in Derbyshire, besides holding Government paper to a large amount.

'No one else here?' he said. 'I thought we were going to have a pukka consultation with all the crowd present – decorations, banners, and salute of guns!'

But let's assume it's a real pukka rare bird.

Among [Max] Le Blond's exhortations was the need for Singapore theatre to internalise "the conviction that our lives as Singaporeans possess the same theatrical validity, […] [as] the English literary tradition"[…]. This would involve ridding ourselves of a residual colonial consciousness, even at the subliminal level, and revising our perception of the vernacular idiom and local accents, hitherto regarded as non-pukka.

The popular classification of wells is, however, into pukka and kuchcha. Percolation wells are usually pukka or brickbuilt. Spring wells are of three kinds—(1) pukka, where the sub-soil to the spring is sandy, and masonry is necessary througout; […] (3) kuchcha wells, made of clay throughout.

In some cases, the sericulturists avail of credit facility and construct a pukka shed for the silk worms. It is ironical, however, that they have to accommodate themselves and their children in a shabby hut.

Synonyms for pukka

Antonyms for pukka

Related Words

Word Forms

• more pukka
• most pukka
• pacca
• pakka
• pucka
• pucca

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions