haywire 1 of 2

adjective

ˈhā-ˌwī(-ə)r How to pronounce haywire (audio)
Definition of haywirenext
1
as in down
not being in working order The website went haywire when it was overloaded with visitors seeking tickets.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mad
unable to think in a clear or sensible way She gradually went haywire with grief after the tragic death of her husband.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

haywire

2 of 2

adverb

as in uncontrollably

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Dissimilar Words

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 haywire
Adverb
Robot meltdown — The LLMs also sometimes went haywire in unexpected ways. — Billy Perrigo, Time, 28 Oct. 2025 The Baltimore Orioles' season went haywire fast after a disappointing offseason that saw ace Corbin Burnes walk, and with no real replacement added to their pitching staff. — Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for haywire
  1. down
  2. mad
  3. uncontrollably
  4. malfunctioning
  5. psychotic
  6. crazily
  7. broken
  8. insane
Adjective
  • On the edge, Dre’Mont Jones tallied a pressure in team drills, and Elijah Ponder had a down day relative to some recent practices.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Despite the Chiefs having a down year and missing the playoffs, Kelce was still productive last season.
    — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of down
Adjective
  • Alec Hammond, my production designer, is just a mad scientist.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • Fortunately, Alec Hammond, the production designer, is a is a mad scientist.
    — Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of mad
Adverb
  • Hydroplaning occurs when a vehicle begins to slide uncontrollably on wet roads.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
  • Hydroplaning is the term for when a vehicle begins sliding uncontrollably on wet roads.
    — STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026
Definition of uncontrollably
Adjective
  • Edmiston arrived on a separate boat to help the group with the malfunctioning vessel, and denies having any role in Wells’ death, his family said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
    — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026
  • Oen Sujet’s catalog sounds equally like the product of a random number generator or a malfunctioning algorithm as of a deeply mercurial artist.
    — Maxie Younger, Pitchfork, 24 July 2026
Definition of malfunctioning
Adjective
  • In the book’s arc, this lands as a chilling dismissal, and a reminder of the magnitude of Bret’s increasingly psychotic concern over Robert Mallory and the Trawler, and his detachment from his own life.
    — Leo Lasdun, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
  • In people with personal or family history of psychotic disorders, taking psilocybin may increase the risk of psychosis.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of psychotic
Adverb
  • And when Andreeva hits one of her crazily creative shots and turns to Martínez for praise, she is met with a smile, and maybe some clapping.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 4 June 2026
  • The scene used one of the film’s funniest visual gags, an apartment so crazily tilted that nobody inside it could stand up straight.
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
Definition of crazily
Adjective
  • His adventures traversing a broken land of haunted people and animals may be less the stuff of future myth and more about trauma, but Yoon brilliantly creates voices for human and canine that make both more whole.
    — Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
  • The broken, headless humerus was instead left to float freely in the man’s arm, unattached to his upper body.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026
Definition of broken
Adjective
  • However, Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was fined and suspended for five games after last Tuesday’s contest, when two girls sitting courtside in support of Cunnigham said Keaton cursed at them and called them insane.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Continue reading … VIRUS RECKONING — COVID fury explodes as Fauci hearing revives 'insane' lockdown nightmare tales.
    — , FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of insane

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hayseed
haywire
hazard
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Cite this Entry

“Haywire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haywire. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of haywire for Spanish Speakers

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