Word of the Day

: October 20, 2019

knackered

adjective NAK-erd

What It Means

British : tired, exhausted

knackered in Context

"Even the most perky 20-something is going to age, have kids and get knackered eventually. And like millions before them they will turn on their TV for respite, rescue, recreation and Ready Steady Cook as their lives unfold." — Mark Ritson, Marketing Week, 14 Feb. 2019

"There are usually some after parties, but I haven't made them over the past few years as I've been knackered!" — Daniel Ricciardo, quoted in Forbes, 15 Sept. 2017

Did You Know?

Knackered is derived 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, which originally referred to a harness-maker or saddlemaker, and later referred to a buyer of animals no longer able to do farmwork (or their carcasses) as well as to a buyer of old structures. The origins of the noun knacker, however, remain obscure. Knackered is used on both sides of the Atlantic but is more common among British speakers.