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
-
In the ’60s, my grandma came straight to Los Angeles from Mississippi with mad kids.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
27 June 2025 -
Sit down in Geneva or Vienna or Qatar and fully and permanently surrender this mad nightmare to acquire nukes, or face more of the same devastation.—
New York Daily News,
Twin Cities,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
Swing down bed rails are great when getting in and out of bed or changing sheets.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
7 July 2025
-
With a down year in the rearview, Prescott and the Cowboys are looking forward to having a clean slate soon.—
Justin Grasso,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
The counselor also told police Trotman had had a previous psychotic break in which he was found wandering the woods.—
Peter Hermann,
Washington Post,
7 Feb. 2023
-
Lewis prescribed Price anti-psychotic medication after a mental health referral Sept. 1.—
Thomas Saccente,
Arkansas Online,
17 Jan. 2023
Adjective
-
Several broken waste bins were not fixed in a timely manner.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
-
The problem is worsened by the broken and outmoded state of the Oscars’ Best International Feature category, which lets foreign governments handpick their own submissions and launder their public images.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
Amanda learned in like 10 seconds, which is insane.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
-
The emu egg—a two pound, eight-inch ovoid with a sultry teal shell gently speckled in pale green—seemed like just the right absurdist final flourish for an already insane endeavor.—
Helen Rosner,
The New Yorker,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The price signals are useless because the government prohibited them from being useful.—
The Editors,
National Review,
30 June 2025
-
The devices must also give consumers the option of deactivating such features, unless that action would render the device useless.—
Andrew Brown,
Hartford Courant,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
College campuses, after all, cannot and should not be anarchic free speech zones where any maniacal provocateur like Milo Yiannopoulos can come and deliver an outrageous address designed to do nothing other than generate controversy without any pushback.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 May 2025
-
The twists hit quickly, and you’re left satisfied, an amuse-bouche of life among maniacal rich people.—
William Earl,
Variety,
9 June 2025
Adverb
-
One place the Padres desperately need to upgrade is the outfield, but there aren't very many quality outfielders expected to be on the market.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
-
More legislation is desperately needed, but the laws never seem to catch up with the pace of the technological advances.—
Janice Gassam Asare,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Haywire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haywire. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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