wacky

adjective

ˈwa-kē 

variants or less commonly whacky

wackier also whackier; wackiest also whackiest

: absurdly or amusingly eccentric or irrational

wacky ideas

a wacky comedian

wackily

ˈwa-kə-lē 

adverb

wackiness

ˈwa-kē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• bizarre
• bizarro
• cranky
• crazy
• curious
• eccentric
• erratic
• far-out
• funky
• funny
• kinky
• kooky
• kookie
• odd
• off-kilter
• off-the-wall
• offbeat
• out-of-the-way
• outlandish
• outré
• peculiar
• quaint
• queer
• queerish
• quirky
• remarkable
• rum [chiefly British]
• screwy
• spaced-out
• strange
• way-out
• weird
• weirdo
• wild

Examples of wacky in a Sentence

My wacky aunt takes a swim before the lake freezes every winter.

the wacky world of his imagination

Recent Examples on the Web

The charm of the boys helps (though some audience members, particularly those not easily won over by kiddos, might balk at their performances), especially as their wacky fun melts into real emotional nuance. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2024

What Cat Sleeping Positions Mean Nimble and almost impossibly stretchy, cats have been the source of plenty viral Internet jokes for their wacky sleeping and sitting positions. —Discover Magazine, 3 Sep. 2024

Decades before artificial neural networks could generate personalized poems and wacky images, computer scientists were using them to build backgammon programs. —Idrees Kahloon, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024

Watch Fargo on Hulu Rat Race Rat Race might not be a murder mystery, but Knives Out fans will still love the wacky and hilarious movie. —Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 11 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from English dialect whacky fool

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

wacky

adjective

ˈwak-ē 

wackier; wackiest

: amusing and very strange

wackily

ˈwak-ə-lē

adverb

wackiness

ˈwak-ē-nəs

noun