berserk 1 of 3

adverb

Definition of berserknext
as in frantically
in a confused and reckless manner the familiar scene in horror movies where everyone runs berserk as the monster destroys everything in sight

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

berserk

2 of 3

adjective

as in ballistic

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Dissimilar Words

berserk

3 of 3

noun

variants or berserker
as in cowboy

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of berserk
Adjective
This has unintended consequences when both Batel and Spock share a vision that sends Spock into a berserk rage. — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 31 July 2025 But that was before Watkins suffered a season-ending ACL tear and before UConn star Paige Bueckers went absolutely berserk, scoring 40 in the Sweet 16. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2025
Noun
Peer in on the New York team making a medium-to-deep run in the playoffs as every New Yorker in your life goes berserk. — Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 16 May 2026 The crowd in Rio went berserk, and social media melted. — Bobby Ghosh, Time, 7 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for berserk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for berserk
  1. frantically
  2. ballistic
  3. cowboy
  4. wildly
  5. nuclear
  6. madman
  7. wild
  8. psychotic
Adverb
  • Its heroines aren’t frantically networking at film festivals or plotting their next career moves.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Stickers are stuck in the wrong spot, Trevor Etienne gets put on the board when it was meant to be his brother Travis, and owners look frantically for a Stefon Diggs or Keenan Allen sticker that doesn’t exist in the pack.
    — Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of frantically
Adjective
  • The latter can also engage ballistic targets, giving it a role in defending against threats such as Chinese anti-ship ballistic missiles.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that his country is receiving substantially fewer Patriot defense systems, even as Russian ballistic attacks are increasing.
    — Sylvia Hui, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of ballistic
Noun
  • Inventing fake cowboys with drama would be disrespectful to the real cowboys who live drama-free at the Four Sixes to this day, according to Sheridan.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The scenes will include a tribute to the vaqueros, the Mexican and Tejano cowboys who made up about one-fourth of Old West ranch hands and trail drivers.
    — Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of cowboy
Adverb
  • Fly’s brand of rap, defined by spare, steely 808 beats and club shoutouts, was wildly popular, spawning nearly 50 mixtape volumes and many more songs since.
    — Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 25 Aug. 2026
  • That may still be the case in the coming weeks, but the second episode of HBO’s Lanterns makes for a fairly solid (if simple and straightforward) follow-up with some wildly entertaining moments.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of wildly
Adjective
  • South Korea's Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Seoul remained opposed to officially recognizing the North as a nuclear-weapon state, something Kim has long sought.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Engineers will then study how the compact nuclear heating system performs during roughly 14 Earth days of darkness.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of nuclear
Noun
  • Either Republicans will retain control of Congress, or enough Democrats (one hopes) will prevail so Congress can reclaim its authority over a madman executive.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Many writers travelled to Jonestown to survey the shambles and determine whether this was a utopian experiment gone astray or a madman’s fever dream destined to fail.
    — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026
Definition of madman
Adverb
  • Two more runs scored in the fourth inning when Ohtani, Pages and Freeman strung together three consecutive two-out singles and Keller wild-pitched a run home.
    — Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 12 June 2026
  • First, like cucumbers, squash is a wild-growing vegetable that competes for garden space, according to Dilmore.
    — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 9 June 2026
Definition of wild
Adjective
  • Psychiatric disorders are generally divided into mood disorders and psychotic disorders, Osborne said; postpartum psychosis is a mood disorder, in which mood symptoms accompany psychotic symptoms.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • But to make some generalization that all career women are psychotic because Glenn Close happened to be psychotic at the end of that movie is just silly.
    — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of psychotic

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Cite this Entry

“Berserk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/berserk. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on berserk

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about berserk

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