1
as in malfunctioning
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 amuck
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for haywire
Adjective
-
Another set piece involving a malfunctioning chair lift is excruciatingly tense.—
Emily Palmer Heller,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Can decades of quotidian contentment really hold a candle to the mad blush of first love?—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Poetry walks with me each step of my mad thinking.—
Rickey Laurentiis,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Williams and the Bears began to stall completely on securing crucial third down conversions.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The violent up and down cycles were strong enough to disengage the plane’s autopilot system and cause minor damage to the plane’s interior as everything that wasn’t strapped down went flying.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Brown's attorneys had said Brown could at times appear psychotic.—
Kevin Grasha,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Psychologists and psychiatrists are scrambling to better understand how use of chatbots can fuel delusions and drive psychotic episodes.—
Amy Feldman,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Hydroplaning happens when a vehicle starts sliding uncontrollably on wet roads.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Bone Cancer Bone cancer develops when abnormal cells multiply and grow uncontrollably, forming a tumor in the bone.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In my experience, redeeming a broken industry requires regaining consumer trust by delivering empathy, transparency, and a process that works for clients, especially in a space that has historically worked against the interests of consumers.—
Brandon Aversano,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Across the eastern Baltic states (an area pertaining to modern-day Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), there are even more examples of broken tools in Stone Age burials.—
Sarah Durn,
Popular Science,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Malik Heath’s insane toe-tap grab on the sideline, which was reversed after video replay review, was a massive 37-yard swing for the Packers during the drive.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
None of their other work, arguably, has had the seismic impact or inspires the same insane quotability as This Is Spinal Tap.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
12 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
That seems like a crazily low number of songs.—
Carson Blackwelder,
People.com,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Guessing crazily at the future, the gambler is granted, briefly, the gift of now.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
4 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Haywire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haywire. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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