as in mad
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
offered a completely cuckoo suggestion for using the defunct strip mall
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in lunatic
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
one cuckoo at the campground tried to boil soup in a plastic cup
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in goose
a silly flighty person
didn't want to be among those cuckoos who race around the mall the day before Christmas
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of cuckoo
Perri Klass, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 May 2022
In the midst of such cuckoo-ness, my son, Isaac, and daughter-in-law, Lennon, had the courage to bring a child into this world.
—New York Times, 15 Mar. 2022
Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2025
Brood parasites such as cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, tricking the hosts into caring for their offspring at the expense of their own.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cuckoo
Adjective
In the Disney film, Geppetto is a maker of toys and cuckoo clocks living in a vaguely European half-timber house.
—Perri Klass, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 May 2022
In the midst of such cuckoo-ness, my son, Isaac, and daughter-in-law, Lennon, had the courage to bring a child into this world.
—New York Times, 15 Mar. 2022
Noun
In For Good, all of Oz is cuckoo for clock ticks.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2025
Brood parasites such as cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, tricking the hosts into caring for their offspring at the expense of their own.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cuckoo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cuckoo
Adjective
-
And everyone is mad at Andrew—though this one feels like a rumor and more reality.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
7 Jan. 2026
-
He’s been thrown straight into a mad month, in which Chelsea have Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Champions League fixtures.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The lunatics who attacked the seat of government to try to change the outcome of a free and fair election are not patriots.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Now, after Miami’s 34-10 win Sunday at the New York Jets, you are officially allowed to wonder aloud about wild-card playoff chances and be seen only as way optimistic rather than as a raving lunatic.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
But those synergies and efforts to goose company revenue were not enough to outpace costs; the company was losing about $500,000 a year.—
Paul Flahive,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Jan. 2026
-
An Ankeny man violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act after killing a goose with his vehicle last year.—
Kyle Werner,
Des Moines Register,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The idea of giving that over to a robot seems foolish [and] boring.—
Melinda Newman,
Billboard,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Black people cast and produced to look stupid and foolish as standard operating procedure.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Of course, comparing the bottle in question to contemporary releases is a fool’s errand—this was something different entirely.—
David Thomas Tao,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Breaking down such a layered metaphysical concept with the relatively few words left in this review would be a fool’s errand, but suffice it to say that all of the math miraculously checks out.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But no, sillies: Bradley is white, famous and pretty — no jail time for her!—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
17 Sep. 2025
-
It was shot in portrait because it was shot in Instagram by and for a woman who was losing her mind in quarantine and had fully let the sillies take the wheel.—
Ego Nwodim,
TIME,
12 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
What happens, though, when those excesses transcend the merely stupid, the merely unjust, to become existential?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
People who approve of ICE’s actions aren’t necessarily stupid or evil.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
However, unexpected and decidedly unwelcome guests keep turning up, including Beau’s brother, and a man who might be a homicidal maniac.—
Matthew J. Palm,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Not the fear of an actor out of her element, or the more mundane fear of a victim being chased around by an ax-wielding maniac.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cuckoo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cuckoo. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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