1
as in excited
informal
showing urgent desire or interest
The friends are bonkers about the new video game, and play together for hours at a time.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in insane
informal + sometimes offensive
unable to think in a clear or sensible way
She spent her last years as a totally bonkers recluse in a decaying mansion.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 bonkers
There were indelible clutch moments and absolutely bonkers endings.
—
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Tanyard Hill, located next to Coy Hill, is home to four warehouses built in the early ’60s that also apparently yield barrels with truly bonkers levels of alcohol.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 9 Nov. 2025
Graffiti historian Roger Gastman—who helped orchestrate MOCA’s record-setting Art in the Streets show in 2011—takes over a 40,000-square-foot warehouse on the edge of Chinatown for a totally bonkers street art experience.
—Marielle Wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, 21 June 2018
Hulu’s new show from the creator of Luther is a totally bonkers melange of sci-fi scenarios, global doom, and stabbiness.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2018
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Tanyard Hill, located next to Coy Hill, is home to four warehouses built in the early ’60s that also apparently yield barrels with truly bonkers levels of alcohol.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 9 Nov. 2025
Graffiti historian Roger Gastman—who helped orchestrate MOCA’s record-setting Art in the Streets show in 2011—takes over a 40,000-square-foot warehouse on the edge of Chinatown for a totally bonkers street art experience.
—Marielle Wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, 21 June 2018
Hulu’s new show from the creator of Luther is a totally bonkers melange of sci-fi scenarios, global doom, and stabbiness.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bonkers
Adjective
-
People have been particularly excited about your chemistry with Steve Carell.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Apr. 2026
-
After a four-year hiatus, creator Sam Levinson was excited to take the high-school characters into adulthood.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And leading the country is a megalomaniac — Anthony Starr’s always riveting Homelander — who might be going insane.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Apr. 2026
-
By any normal corporate logic, this was an insane thing to promise.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Boomer is particularly enthusiastic to introduce the world to the latter actress, who previously appeared in Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans and Prime Video's Hunters.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Chinese people, particularly younger ones, have long been enthusiastic about wordplay.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
William Atherton’s Jerry Hathaway—the money-hungry mad king behind Project Crossbow—is unfortunately medium plausible.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Kimi and Margo go at each other at the picnic, and now Margo is mad at Mark.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Takaichi is a hard rock and heavy metal music fan and was an avid drummer in her college days.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The president's eldest grandchild is an avid golfer who committed to play for the University of Miami's collegiate team this fall.—
Linda Marx,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Philip Seymour Hoffman played him on Broadway as a near-psychotic, his philandering very much to blame for the fall of his elder son, Biff.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Less commonly, some people experience psychotic symptoms, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, paranoia, confusion or emotional distress.—
Hollis Karoly,
The Conversation,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Ground zero Last year, Glenn Roquemore, who chairs the education committee of the Flying Leathernecks Heritage Foundation, was searching for eager students to build the iconic Jenny plane, based off of one that had been crashed and never restored.—
Victoria Le,
Oc Register,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The casting has been highly anticipated, with fans eager to see how the EmHen universe love stories will translate onscreen — even going so far as to share dream casting choices.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Bones is a pretty stellar action heroine, if only for her rah-rah speeches and her maniacal laughter in the face of men who seek to control her.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Even when discussing this premise, his maniacal desire to win seeps through.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bonkers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bonkers. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
