berserko

adjective

ber·​serko bər-ˈsər-kō 

-ˈzər-,

bə-

chiefly US, informal

1

: highly excited or agitated : frenzied, berserk

A berserko crowd of 73,614 tromped through the snow outside Mile High Stadium and painted the place orange for the long-awaited event.

—Chris Jenkins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Sept. 1985

… most dogs will go berserko at the very thought of riding shotgun with the fresh, free wind in their hair, ears flapping and life without care.

—Rick Methot, Lebanon (Pennsylvania) Daily News, 26 Aug. 2012

2

: unusual or bizarre often in a way that suggests or reflects insanity : crazy

But berserko plots are what we expect from the TV soaps, and what we deserve if we watch them.

—John Leonard, New York Magazine, 10 June 1996

… Jack Nicholson's berserko performance as Jack Torrance, an alcoholic playwright and interim hotel caretaker who seemed bent on murdering his desperate wife and telepathic son even before the opening credits had finished rolling.

—John Leonard, New York Magazine, 28 Apr. 1997

Word History

Etymology

berserk entry 1 + -o, informal suffix extending adjectives and adverbs, as in nuts-o, wacko, bizarro

First Known Use

1977, in the meaning defined above

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!