as in exhausted
depleted in strength, energy, or freshness
I'm absolutely knackered, so no pub-crawling for me tonight
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Recent Examples of knackered
Or at least see the knock-on effects on knackered players during the new domestic season?
—
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
The bones of knackered cattle in the glue that held his antique books together.
—Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
And, if their knees get too knackered, there’s a backup Santa.
—Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2021
The adrenaline from having our first child (and keeping him alive) got me through the first several days without feeling completely knackered, but my lack of nocturnal restoration eventually took its toll.
—Patrick Wilson, Outside Online, 15 June 2020
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
The bones of knackered cattle in the glue that held his antique books together.
—Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
And, if their knees get too knackered, there’s a backup Santa.
—Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2021
The adrenaline from having our first child (and keeping him alive) got me through the first several days without feeling completely knackered, but my lack of nocturnal restoration eventually took its toll.
—Patrick Wilson, Outside Online, 15 June 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knackered
Adjective
-
International cave-diving teams are navigating jagged, zero-visibility passages while weighing whether to guide the exhausted, untrained villagers underwater or wait for receding floodwaters, echoing dilemmas from Thailand’s 2018 cave rescue.—
Jintamas Saksornchai,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
Rice looked exhausted a few weeks back but returned to form as the season reached its climax.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Second, they are wired to please you in a way that does not turn off, does not get tired and does not second-guess itself.—
Shreyans Mehta,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
Michiganders are tired of the games and want strong, bipartisan leadership.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knackered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knackered. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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