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
  • Once that became clear, Cashman pivoted to Stanton — hard and fast and perhaps even frantically — and made the big splash for the big man two weeks or so before Christmas.
    — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 11 July 2026
  • In a darkly comedic twist, Beadie changes her mind after swallowing a lethal dose, and Jessa frantically calls the paramedics to save her life.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 7 July 2026
Definition of frantically
Adjective
  • The sheriff's office said ballistic testing performed with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives later produced forensic evidence linking the two murders.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2026
  • The Space Development Agency’s primary mission has been to develop a constellation of several hundred missile warning and data relay satellites in low-Earth orbit designed to detect, track, and target ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026
Definition of ballistic
Noun
  • Flanking the stage were two large neon signs of a cowboy and cowgirl, waving back and forth as if inviting a traveler to come visit for a night.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026
  • Each steak, regardless of the cut, looks like it’s been plucked from the set of a Taylor Sheridan cowboy series, with perfect, even bistre crusts and ruby centers.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of cowboy
Adverb
  • Tolbert threw wildly to second base, and that allowed a run to score.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026
  • While Prince George is following his father by going to Eton College, Jobson told the Daily Mail that the circumstances are wildly different.
    — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026
Definition of wildly
Adjective
  • Both sides agreed to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program under the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed in June but later fell apart.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
  • Key Background The agreement would allow Saudi Arabia to enrich its own fuel for nuclear reactors, which critics fear could facilitate Saudi development of a nuclear weapon.
    — Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of nuclear
Noun
  • 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
  • The garages at drag events are full of red-eyed madmen who have sold their houses and chased their wives and children away in pursuit of this.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 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
  • Prosecutors, meanwhile, contend Clancy intentionally planned the killings and was not acting under the effects of a psychotic break, according to the AP.
    — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026
  • The Drug Enforcement Administration says kratom produces stimulant effects in low doses and sedative effects in high doses, and can lead to psychotic symptoms, and psychological and physiological dependence.
    — Jake Rosenwasser, CBS News, 13 July 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 24 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on berserk

Nglish: Translation of berserk for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about berserk

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