Green’s Dictionary of Slang

of a man, good-looking, well-built.

1890		Dead Bird (Sydney) 18 Oct. 5/4: And you hort to see them stare / When I ventured to declare, / As we was a hunky pair, / Mr and Jersey.
1902		Sun. Times (Perth) 12 Oct. 1/1: Hunky ’Arry Brown employs a paid canvasser to cop signatures to his requisition.
1923		Physical Culture 27: The big hunky and all round athlete.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 110: tall and handsome [...] hunky.
1989		Kirk & Madsen After The Ball 302: A hunky, blond, hard-muscled young man.
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 191: A hunky honcho, he wore his best starched and pressed prison blues.
2004		J. Ellroy ‘Hot-Prowl Rape-O’ in Destination: Morgue! (2004) 282: Hunky homo Rock Hudson!
2007		J. Stahl ‘Pure’ in Love Without 162: That’s the hottie we’re all waiting for. God’s hunky Son!
2007		R. Milward Apples (2023) 82: [T]he hunky lad in black marched over.
2010		J. Ellroy Hilliker Curse 13: Jean F. was wed to a hunky drifter named Ellroy.
2023		(con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 30: Two waitresses [...] eyeballed hunky Bo Belinsky.