1
as in excited
informal
showing urgent desire or interest
The friends are bonkers about the new video game, and play together for hours at a time.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in insane
informal + sometimes offensive
unable to think in a clear or sensible way
She spent her last years as a totally bonkers recluse in a decaying mansion.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bonkers
There were indelible clutch moments and absolutely bonkers endings.
—
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Tanyard Hill, located next to Coy Hill, is home to four warehouses built in the early ’60s that also apparently yield barrels with truly bonkers levels of alcohol.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 9 Nov. 2025
Graffiti historian Roger Gastman—who helped orchestrate MOCA’s record-setting Art in the Streets show in 2011—takes over a 40,000-square-foot warehouse on the edge of Chinatown for a totally bonkers street art experience.
—Marielle Wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, 21 June 2018
Hulu’s new show from the creator of Luther is a totally bonkers melange of sci-fi scenarios, global doom, and stabbiness.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2018
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Tanyard Hill, located next to Coy Hill, is home to four warehouses built in the early ’60s that also apparently yield barrels with truly bonkers levels of alcohol.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 9 Nov. 2025
Graffiti historian Roger Gastman—who helped orchestrate MOCA’s record-setting Art in the Streets show in 2011—takes over a 40,000-square-foot warehouse on the edge of Chinatown for a totally bonkers street art experience.
—Marielle Wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, 21 June 2018
Hulu’s new show from the creator of Luther is a totally bonkers melange of sci-fi scenarios, global doom, and stabbiness.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bonkers
Adjective
-
White is excited about his future, and plans to perform at this year's Minnesota State Fair.—
Tony Peterson,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
But the nail in the coffin for her family was the bike course, which her niece was most excited for.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC news,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
If he was convicted, a jury would then have to decide whether Abril was insane when the park shooting occurred.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
-
And the culture is happily playing along in the name of this insane thirst of Stan culture to have something on the other side.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Organizers said sign-ups have been especially enthusiastic in suburban areas with high-profile congressional races like Scottsdale, Arizona; Langhorne, Pennsylvania; East Cobb, Georgia; and here in northern New Jersey’s 11th district, which holds a special election April 7.—
Steve Peoples,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
-
So enthusiastic that they were invited back to perform at the 2025 MusicCares, which honored the Grateful Dead.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Some celebrities have gotten mad at him about the interactions, and some of them laugh about it with him.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Us senior surfers need to stick together to hold off the hordes of nasty agro kidbots that are violently intent on world domination and the spread of nuclear surf rabies and mad Red Bull disease.—
Corky Carroll,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Kari Morgan, a Ramona resident and avid hiker, came to the opening ceremony.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Julia is also an amateur powerlifter, avid outdoor explorer, and proud cat mom to Jeeves, her long-haired tuxedo kitty.—
Julia Sullivan,
Outside,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The prescriptions for the anti-psychotic medications Nelson required twice daily were slow to be filled and forgotten on a desk in a corporate office.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
27 Mar. 2026
-
After inheriting her childhood home, an unsuspecting woman becomes the object of her psychotic neighbor’s obsession, spiraling her down a violent path of stalking and possession that can only lead her to an extremely bloody Christmas.—
William Earl,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But Pineda brings the matter up many times, and is eager to defend himself.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
31 Mar. 2026
-
With Archer’s amicable exit, the Princess of Wales is eager for the focus to be on her work rather than her outfits.—
Laura Scafati,
Vanity Fair,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Bones is a pretty stellar action heroine, if only for her rah-rah speeches and her maniacal laughter in the face of men who seek to control her.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
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Even when discussing this premise, his maniacal desire to win seeps through.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bonkers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bonkers. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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