wacky

adjective

ˈwa-kē 

variants or less commonly whacky

wackier also whackier; wackiest also whackiest

: absurdly or amusingly eccentric or irrational

wacky ideas

a wacky comedian

wackily

ˈwa-kə-lē 

adverb

wackiness

ˈwa-kē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• bizarre
• bizarro
• cranky
• crazy
• curious
• eccentric
• erratic
• far-out
• funky
• funny
• kinky
• kooky
• kookie
• odd
• off-kilter
• off-the-wall
• offbeat
• out-of-the-way
• outlandish
• outré
• peculiar
• quaint
• queer
• queerish
• quirky
• remarkable
• rum [chiefly British]
• screwy
• spaced-out
• strange
• way-out
• weird
• weirdo
• wild

Examples of wacky in a Sentence

My wacky aunt takes a swim before the lake freezes every winter.

the wacky world of his imagination

Recent Examples on the Web

Japan is famed for its wacky formats and distributor Fremantle has proven the concept can travel by landing three season commissions for the show in Portugal, just six months after adding it to the catalog. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2024

More to Read Will a late start lead to a wacky ending? —Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024

But framed in a different way, this drama could be described as a rather wacky and wild buddy cop show in which the crime-fighting partners are an alcoholic detective and an obscenity-spewing nun — right down to an in-series reference to Cagney and Lacey. —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Sep. 2024

Enter its doors, and ghoulish masks of past presidents stare down at you from above a wall of wacky, colorful wigs. —Christopher Intagliata, NPR, 13 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from English dialect whacky fool

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

wacky

adjective

ˈwak-ē 

wackier; wackiest

: amusing and very strange

wackily

ˈwak-ə-lē

adverb

wackiness

ˈwak-ē-nəs

noun