1
as in down
not being in working order
The website went haywire when it was overloaded with visitors seeking tickets.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
-
Shopping writer Julia Harrison is a down pillow devotee, but Boll & Branch’s has become her absolute favorite.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
19 Feb. 2026
-
There are strict criteria which apply for safe standing areas, such as the fact fans must be able to sit or stand in the licensed areas – the seats in them cannot be locked in the ‘up’ or ‘down’ position.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Pederson is something of a mad scientist with bats.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s beloved novel has been driving people mad since the project was first announced.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Hydroplaning occurs when a vehicle begins to slide uncontrollably on wet roads.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
18 Feb. 2026
-
About two hours into the trip, the ship began to leak uncontrollably.—
Anders Hagstrom,
FOXNews.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
There's also the scenario where the user experience just isn't great, whether that's subpar customer service or a malfunctioning app.—
Andreina Rodriguez,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Over 1,000 sanitation workers went on strike after two workers were crushed by a malfunctioning garbage truck — a tragic incident in a history of city neglect of Black workers.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
While Hadari is rebranding as YH Studios, his creative voice remains unchanged, clearly influenced by Browne in his fusion of the sartorial with the slightly psychotic.—
Ari Stark,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
At a house party full of caviar, one of the women, while immersed in a motherhood quandary, asks another if there’s something psychotic and untoward in her devouring piles of tiny eggs.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
All this happened before, with the aid of a boombox, Singh and the little girls taught me to crazily dance Punjabi-style in their welcoming home occupied by three generations.—
Norma Meyer,
Oc Register,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Granted, by the time the Jet Skis are swinging crazily in the air, Nathan has only been onboard for a few hours.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
-
In February 2025, NASA hired an independent team to determine why the mission failed, examining everything from broken hardware to leadership mistakes.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Your day-to-day life would be insane!—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Defense lawyers had argued during the trial that Taylor was legally insane at the time of the offense.—
Claire Osborn,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Haywire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haywire. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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