as in excellent
of the very best kind
a writer renowned for her cracking tales of mystery and suspense
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in extremely
to a great degree
tells a cracking good tale of a search for a lost city
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in popping
to break suddenly with an explosive sound
the tree branch unexpectedly cracked under our weight
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in choking
to yield to mental or emotional stress
after hours of tough questioning the suspect finally cracked and blurted out a confession
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in deciphering
to change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language
the United States military used the Navajo language as a code during World War II, and the enemy never cracked it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in knocking
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
cracked the bow of the ship with a champagne bottle
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in solving
to find an answer for through reasoning
I've been mulling this riddle, but I just can't crack it
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in bothering
to cause to go insane or as if insane
cracked by years in solitary confinement, the prisoner could only maunder incoherently
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cracking
New Atlas, 10 Apr. 2026
Another uninspired performance coupled with a a heavy defeat may well spell the end for the Basque manager at the Emirates, so this fixture should have plenty of undertones and be a cracking game of football.
—SI.com, 28 Oct. 2019
His fortunes finally turned back Wednesday, when van Garderen laid down a cracking time trial at the Tour of California.
—sacbee, 16 May 2018
Anna Nemtsova, Time, 23 May 2026
Gleeson’s casual menace and black sense of humor make for an ideal foil to Cage’s quip-cracking do-gooder.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 22 May 2026
Anna lives with Harlequin ichthyosis, a rare genetic skin disease where a baby is born with hard, thick skin that is prone to cracking and splitting apart, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 21 May 2026
Fashion was hit by brand management tremors on Wednesday as two new fault lines opened up, further cracking the industry’s status quo.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 20 May 2026
It was long thought that cracking encryption would require a processor with at least a million qubits.
—Zeeya Merali, Scientific American, 19 May 2026
Mary Hartman was cracking before America’s eyes.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
After games, many Thunder players reside by their lockers cracking jokes and catching up instead of fretting over roles and playing time.
—Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
And quite frankly Johansson has never been better as a Queens mom and wife privately cracking but keeping it hidden from her family.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 16 May 2026
Adjective
The study published in the journal Construction and Building Materials also revealed that the triangular and wavy forms significantly enhanced the beam's ability to handle post-cracking stress.
—New Atlas, 10 Apr. 2026
Another uninspired performance coupled with a a heavy defeat may well spell the end for the Basque manager at the Emirates, so this fixture should have plenty of undertones and be a cracking game of football.
—SI.com, 28 Oct. 2019
His fortunes finally turned back Wednesday, when van Garderen laid down a cracking time trial at the Tour of California.
—sacbee, 16 May 2018
Verb
The Kremlin’s approval rating is cracking.
—Anna Nemtsova, Time, 23 May 2026
Gleeson’s casual menace and black sense of humor make for an ideal foil to Cage’s quip-cracking do-gooder.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 22 May 2026
Anna lives with Harlequin ichthyosis, a rare genetic skin disease where a baby is born with hard, thick skin that is prone to cracking and splitting apart, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 21 May 2026
Fashion was hit by brand management tremors on Wednesday as two new fault lines opened up, further cracking the industry’s status quo.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 20 May 2026
It was long thought that cracking encryption would require a processor with at least a million qubits.
—Zeeya Merali, Scientific American, 19 May 2026
Mary Hartman was cracking before America’s eyes.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
After games, many Thunder players reside by their lockers cracking jokes and catching up instead of fretting over roles and playing time.
—Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
And quite frankly Johansson has never been better as a Queens mom and wife privately cracking but keeping it hidden from her family.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 16 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cracking
Adjective
-
Christopher Sanchez has once again been excellent, and Jacob Misiorowski has often looked unhittable with over 14 strikeouts per nine innings.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
-
The excellent, nonprofit gallery and incubator known as PlatteForum has moved around a bit over the years, and will reopen in the Art District on Santa Fe starting June 5.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
14 May 2026
Adverb
-
But even Black athletes whose athleticism gifted them an extremely exclusive express lane in life can tell you stories about growing up a minority in America, or tales their parents or grandparents have told.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
-
The theory of quantum electrodynamics (QED) suggests that when light at extremely high intensities interacts with the vacuum, it can be converted into matter.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
In sync with her inspiration, Maccapani Missoni also played with blurred and watercolor effects, patterns evoking seaweed and deep-sea plants, as well as fish- or pearl-shaped details popping along the necklines, for example.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
22 May 2026
-
All that, plus Liev Schreiber as a pill-popping philanderer named Tag, Dakota Fanning in pregnancy prosthetics, and Donna Lynne Champlin as the beleaguered detective trying to solve the murder.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
The vast majority of people in Pompeii and Herculaneum—the cities hardest hit—perished from asphyxiation, choking on the thick clouds of noxious gas and ash.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 May 2026
-
The agency is aware of 11 choking incidents, the notice states.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Currently, judges in California courts are responsible for deciphering the nuances of California’s Invasion of Privacy law.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
14 May 2026
-
The study creates new criteria for deciphering old dice and allows archaeologists to further explore how games have evolved over time, researchers say.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
However, when his past comes knocking, he is forced to confront it.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
22 May 2026
-
The footmen of such regimes always come knocking on your door at around four in the morning.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
The company also introduced a scalable training system aimed at solving the long-standing data shortage in robotics foundation models.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
18 May 2026
-
Those who do not may eventually discover that their AI has been amplifying the mess rather than solving it.—
Philip Brittan,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Tell him that his approach to the trip is bothering you.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
-
Try taking 10 to 15 minutes each day to write out what's bothering you.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cracking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cracking. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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