1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

wacko 1 of 2

adjective

ˈwa-(ˌ)kō How to pronounce wacko (audio)
variants also whacko
Definition of wackonext
as in absurd
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment a completely wacko obsession with cleaning

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

wacko

2 of 2

noun

variants also whacko
as in eccentric
a person of odd or whimsical habits Some think he is a wacko but I consider him a genius.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wacko
Adjective
This wacko crew was one of the greatest things in the history of television. — Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025 Sounds crazy, but when has UAB football not been completely wacko. — Joseph Goodman | [email protected], al, 16 Dec. 2022
Noun
His search takes him to a wacko cult in the desert run by a scamster, and that of course puts the sheriff in deadly danger. — Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 6 July 2025 You could also get lost attempting to read the splintered English and Hebrew letters running atop a stage festooned with wacko props and occult imagery. — Andrew Lampert, Artforum, 1 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for wacko
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wacko
  1. stupid
  2. eccentric
  3. silly
  4. character
  5. foolish
  6. weirdo
  7. crazy
  8. crackpot
Adjective
  • The humor is like laughing about something that was just so stupid, or something that was so traumatic.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • That’s the problem with all of your arguments and stupid comments.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of stupid
Noun
  • The public reckonings with these figures’ legacies—the troubled former child star gone too soon, the beloved icon, the cult favorite, the complicated eccentric—have come in a cascade.
    — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Make sure to practice a full range of motion with these and emphasize the eccentric (the way down) part of the movement for maximal time under tension and muscle-building stimulus.
    — Jakob Roze, HEALTH, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of eccentric
Adjective
  • That being said, the Ravens offense made the Colts look silly.
    — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Barisone’s proposition was that everything that followed—months of living and working together, silly texts—was done in the shadow of that threat.
    — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of silly
Noun
  • However, the irregular architecture, surviving wooden beams, and 15th-century chapel lend certain spaces genuine local character.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Those scenes play as if the screenwriters gave up on trying to resolve the twisty plot, instead just making their characters tell all, leaving the film’s denouement much less engrossing than its setup.
    — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of character
Adjective
  • Cousins made two foolish mistakes, on the interceptions by Trader and Taaffe.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026
  • That game is too important, and holding someone back for a hypothetical Game 3 might be foolish regardless.
    — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of foolish
Noun
  • How did the weirdo pop-art side project become the go-to vessel for the Great Indie Songwriter?
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Since breaking out in the tween-friendly Twilight saga twenty years ago, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson have each transformed themselves into Hollywood’s most arthouse-friendly weirdos.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of weirdo
Adjective
  • After crash landing on the dark world directly onto the homing beacon, EO and his crazy crew are apprehended by a gang of warrior henchmen and hauled into the throne room to face the wicked alien ruler who is imprisoned in anger and hate.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Good morning from Denver, The Padres found a way to keep rolling on a quiet but crazy night at Coors Field.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of crazy
Noun
  • Musk, as the documentary makes clear, is a genuine if flawed technocratic visionary, a messianic opportunist, and something of a crackpot.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Get the angst out of the games, and the crackpots will move on to some other fashionable cause.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2026
Definition of crackpot

Browse Nearby Words

wackiness
wacko
wackos
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wacko.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wacko. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of aggrandize

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All