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
as in uncontrollably
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of haywire
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
See All Example Sentences for 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
See All Example Sentences for haywire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for haywire
Adjective
-
The major indexes are coming off a down day.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
-
As the factor falls each year, you're required to withdraw a bigger slice of the balance, even in a down market and even when a smaller distribution would make more sense for you.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Captain Ahab went mad in his vengeful search for Moby Dick.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
-
Standing at 6 feet 8 inches in heels, Evans towers above cast members including Stephanie Hsu, Juliette Lewis, Harvey Guillén and more, as the mad scientist and head of a paranormal household that has welcomed in two hapless strangers during a rainstorm.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
26 May 2026
Adverb
-
But across Oklahoma, the fluid is spreading uncontrollably belowground, blasting out of old, unplugged wells, polluting land and contaminating drinking water.—
Katie Campbell,
ProPublica,
2 June 2026
-
The Eagles posted a video on the night of the trade of Hurts and Brown on a FaceTime call with each other, laughing uncontrollably.—
Saad Yousuf,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has opened an investigation into the owner of a malfunctioning chemical storage tank in Garden Grove that has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents as fire crews race to avoid an explosion.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
24 May 2026
-
Despite the accomplishments, Artemis II astronauts had to contend with a more mundane problem -- a malfunctioning space toilet.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Mary, our thirtysomething narrator, has recently boomeranged back to her hometown (York) after experiencing a break with reality that may or may not be psychotic.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
-
In March 2023, Abdulai was assaulted by an inmate during a psychotic episode.—
Imani Cruzen,
Twin Cities,
19 May 2026
Adverb
-
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
-
And still, crazily enough, there are occasional firsts.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Lemieux left Draper with a fractured jaw, broken cheekbone and a broken nose.—
Dan Robson,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
The formula has almond, macadamia, and olive oils to moisturize, plus hydrolyzed keratin to support broken strands.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
Glamour,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
After eighteen months of crisis that saw historic urban fires, harassment by federal immigration authorities, and the generalized anxiety that attends a place where rents are high and services low, public transit inadequate and gas prices insane, the city’s vitality is flagging.—
Dana Goodyear,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
-
Lots of wires, lots of insane stunts.—
Entertainment Weekly,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Haywire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haywire. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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