Synonyms of cracking

cracking 1 of 3

adjective

ˈkra-kiŋ 

as in excellent

of the very best kind

a writer renowned for her cracking tales of mystery and suspense

Synonyms & Similar Words

• excellent
• great
• terrific
• superb
• wonderful
• fantastic
• lovely
• awesome
• stellar
• prime
• beautiful
• fabulous
• fine
• hot
• marvelous
• quality
• cool
• classic
• famous
• top
• topping
• slick
• swell
• neat
• sensational
• brave
• heavenly
• good
• splendid
• bumper
• divine
• sterling
• superior
• immense
• prize
• crackerjack
• keen
• par excellence
• banner
• grand
• choice
• first-rate
• first-class
• fab
• exceptional
• dynamite
• unsurpassed
• superlative
• top-notch
• down
• dope
• corking
• gone
• groovy
• high-class
• peachy
• boss
• out of this world
• decent
• top-shelf
• number one
• blue-ribbon
• tip-top
• mean
• frontline
• radical
• too much
• bang-up
• bully
• nifty
• dandy
• noble
• capital
• topflight
• out-of-sight
• blue-chip
• wizard
• first-string
• better
• gangbusters
• brag
• supernal
• A1
• primo
• satisfactory
• prizewinning
• hype
• fantabulous
• peachy keen
• adequate
• righteous
• special
• bonny
• acceptable
• A-OK
• boffo
• top-of-the-line
• phat
• numero uno
• five-star
• gilt-edged
• all right
• classical
• tolerable
• jim-dandy
• traditional
• passable
• four-star
• fancy
• OK
• premium
• high-grade
• select
• high-test
• standard
• superfine

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• poor
• terrible
• rotten
• awful
• pathetic
• lousy
• atrocious
• wretched
• vile
• bad
• inferior
• unsatisfactory
• substandard
• low-grade
• execrable
• mediocre
• middling
• second-class
• second-rate

cracking

2 of 3

adverb

as in extremely

to a great degree

tells a cracking good tale of a search for a lost city

Synonyms & Similar Words

• extremely
• very
• damn
• incredibly
• terribly
• damned
• too
• highly
• badly
• so
• really
• seriously
• severely
• jolly
• desperately
• super
• real
• full
• far
• especially
• that
• rattling
• greatly
• thumping
• whacking
• wildly
• heavily
• passing
• most
• bone
• roaring
• intensely
• much
• such
• mighty
• particularly
• fiercely
• good and
• exceptionally
• wicked
• extra
• specially
• awful
• way
• spanking
• absolutely
• sore
• corking
• dang
• fantastically
• immensely
• exceedingly
• awfully
• totally
• fabulously
• deadly
• hugely
• uncommonly
• thoroughly
• a lot
• completely
• monstrous
• remarkably
• achingly
• supremely
• vitally
• eminently
• frightfully
• almighty
• utterly
• enormously
• mortally
• sorely
• ever
• beastly
• roaringly
• stinking
• positively
• surpassingly
• archly
• as all get-out
• filthy
• blisteringly
• deeply
• majorly
• vastly
• right
• mightily
• significantly
• entirely
• colossally
• visibly
• noticeably
• unco
• considerably
• fully
• wholly
• downright
• flat-out
• substantially
• notably
• obviously
• radically
• purely
• profoundly
• extensively
• markedly
• palpably
• altogether
• discernibly
• appreciably
• plainly
• excessively
• monumentally
• plentifully
• obscenely
• astronomically
• astonishingly
• grandly
• abundantly
• amazingly
• monstrously
• staggeringly
• overmuch

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• little
• slightly
• somewhat
• nominally
• just
• negligibly
• barely
• hardly
• scarcely
• marginally
• minimally
• scantily
• meagerly

cracking

3 of 3

verb

present participle of crack

1

as in popping

to break suddenly with an explosive sound

the tree branch unexpectedly cracked under our weight

Synonyms & Similar Words

• popping
• snapping
• splitting
• crackling
• exploding
• shattering
• bursting
• hissing
• clicking
• sputtering
• rending
• clattering
• sizzling
• riving
• clacking

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

• choking
• losing it
• melting down
• falling apart
• going to pieces
• flipping (out)
• freaking (out)
• wigging (out)
• breaking down
• breaking up
• going off the deep end
• blowing one's cool

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

• deciphering
• breaking
• decoding
• decrypting
• solving
• translating
• rendering
• unraveling
• working
• figuring out
• unscrambling
• working out
• descrambling
• doping (out)
• puzzling (out)
• unriddling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• coding
• encoding
• encrypting
• ciphering
• mixing (up)
• enciphering
• garbling
• jumbling (up)

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

• knocking
• smacking
• slapping
• hitting
• banging
• slamming
• punching
• pounding
• clapping
• whacking
• striking
• clipping
• swiping
• kicking
• batting
• thumping
• hammering
• nailing
• tapping
• bashing
• poking
• licking
• pushing
• thwacking
• rapping
• shoving
• boxing
• bobbing
• busting
• flicking
• jabbing
• chopping
• swatting
• slugging
• clouting
• zapping
• tagging
• clobbering
• bopping
• socking
• smiting
• pasting
• clocking
• bludgeoning
• bumping
• bonking
• belting
• stabbing
• biffing
• slogging
• walloping
• stroking
• beating
• whaling
• battering
• scuffing
• pummeling
• stamping
• mangling
• mauling
• peppering
• hanging one on
• cuffing
• slashing
• pelting
• whipping
• buffeting
• lashing
• jostling
• dumping
• roughing
• butting
• bunging
• prodding
• lambasting
• drubbing
• decking
• lacing
• creaming
• sapping
• switching
• bunting
• kneeing
• felling
• pommeling
• flogging
• thrashing
• flailing
• spearing
• clubbing
• knocking down
• flooring
• bowling (down or over)
• leveling
• cudgeling
• caning
• sledgehammering
• sledging
• braining
• sucker punching
• conking
• skulling
• rabbit-punching
• beaning

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

• solving
• unraveling
• answering
• resolving
• working
• deciphering
• breaking
• figuring out
• working out
• doping (out)
• puzzling (out)
• riddling (out)
• concluding
• deciding
• unriddling
• gathering
• reasoning
• deducing
• judging
• inferring
• guessing
• straightening (out)
• speculating
• untangling
• clearing (up)
• ironing out
• decoding
• assuming
• divining
• untying
• presuming
• conjecturing
• unscrambling

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

• bothering
• crazing
• disturbing
• distracting
• unbalancing
• unhinging
• upsetting
• maddening
• unsettling
• annoying
• deranging
• confusing
• frenzying
• irritating
• locoing
• unstringing
• disquieting
• perturbing
• agitating
• discomposing
• vexing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• settling
• relaxing
• soothing
• calming
• quieting
• tranquilizing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cracking

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

As part of the last step to cracking the cold case, direct DNA testing confirmed Edwards’ identity. — Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 25 July 2026

Although braids wind their way into many different areas of science, from protein folding to string theory, simply cracking the century-old case was enough of a reward for the trio. — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 24 July 2026

The downloads also include password-cracking tools that can be used by hackers to break into people’s accounts. — Alex Reisner, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026

The camera then cut to Gomez cracking an egg into dough and kneading the pasta into shape, before feeding it into a machine while her husband cheered her on. — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026

The jovial big man, who is often cracking jokes in the locker room, is a menace on the field and still one of the best run stoppers in the NFL. — James Boyd, New York Times, 23 July 2026

But while the BlackWidow courts a crowd more interested in cracking open their keyboards for DIY tweaks, the Huntsman V3 Pro TKL 8K targets gamers who want fast inputs and faster reaction times. — Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 21 July 2026

Certain varieties, like Big Beef, Big Boy, and Box Car Willie, are less prone to cracking. — Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 18 July 2026

Dawkins, older by two years, has the role of protective big brother, which also means cracking jokes. — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026

Phrases Containing cracking

• get cracking