knackered

adjective

knack·​ered ˈna-kərd 

British

: tired, exhausted

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Don't Get Tired Defining Knackered

An apt synonym for knackered might be the phrase “dead tired” for more than one reason. Knackered comes from the past participle of knacker, a slang term meaning “to kill,” as well as “to tire, exhaust, or wear out.” The origins of the verb knacker are uncertain, but the word is perhaps related to an older noun knacker. That word originally referred to a harness-maker or saddlemaker, and later to a buyer of animals no longer able to do farmwork (or their carcasses), as well as to a buyer of old structures. Knackered is used on both sides of the Atlantic but is more common among British speakers.

Synonyms

• all in
• aweary [archaic]
• beat
• beaten
• bleary
• burned-out
• burnt-out
• bushed
• dead
• done
• drained
• exhausted
• fatigued
• jaded
• limp
• logy
• loggy
• played out
• pooped [slang]
• prostrate
• spent
• tapped out
• tired
• tuckered (out)
• washed-out
• wearied
• weary
• wiped out
• worn
• worn-out

Examples of knackered in a Sentence

She was too knackered to join them for dinner.

I'm absolutely knackered, so no pub-crawling for me tonight.

Recent Examples on the Web

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

And, if their knees get too knackered, there’s a backup Santa. —Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2021

Mounting a knackered horse and dragging a fat old farmer, Sancho, in his wake, the don declares undying love for an ordinary girl out of her depth. —Jeanette Winterson, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

English slang knacker to kill, tire, perhaps from knacker, noun

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

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