wacko

1 of 2

adjective

ˈwa-(ˌ)kō 

variants or less commonly whacko

: wacky

wacko

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly whacko

: a person who is wacky

also : psycho entry 1

Synonyms

Adjective

• balmy
• barmy [chiefly British]
• bats
• batty
• bedlam
• bonkers
• brainsick
• bughouse [slang]
• certifiable
• crackbrained
• cracked
• crackers
• crackpot
• cranky [dialect]
• crazed
• crazy
• cuckoo
• daffy
• daft
• demented
• deranged
• fruity [slang]
• gaga
• haywire
• insane
• kooky
• kookie
• loco [slang]
• loony
• looney
• loony tunes
• looney tunes
• lunatic
• mad
• maniacal
• maniac
• mental
• meshuga
• meshugge
• meshugah
• meshuggah
• moonstruck
• non compos mentis
• nuts
• nutty
• psycho
• psychotic
• scatty [chiefly British]
• screwy
• unbalanced
• unhinged
• unsound
• wacky
• whacky
• wud [chiefly Scottish]

Noun

• bug
• crackbrain
• crazy
• fool
• fruitcake
• head case
• loon
• loony
• lunatic
• maniac
• nut
• nutcase
• nutter [British slang]
• psycho
• psychopath
• sickie
• sicko

Examples of wacko in a Sentence

Adjective

a completely wacko obsession with cleaning

Noun

She's nice but her sister's a real wacko.

a completely wacko obsession with cleaning

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

There’s still good investments, but not wacko. —Time, 13 Nov. 2022

Sure, there are wackos who campaign against GMOs, but not all GMO critique is wacko. —Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 19 Oct. 2012

Noun

Out of nowhere, there’s a wacko outdoor puppet theater production by a troupe that operates like a New Age cult. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2024

This is a wacko package to be sure, and overlong at two-and-three-quarter hours, so mileage will vary even for devoted Lanthimos fans. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

by alteration

First Known Use

Adjective

1965, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1936, in the meaning defined above