wacky
Americanadjective
-
wackier,
comparative
-
wackiest
superlative
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of wacky
First recorded in 1935–40; apparently whack (noun, as in out of whack ) + -y 1
Explanation
Something that's wacky is weird or nutty or silly. Your goofy uncle who wears a funny hat and does magic tricks at the dinner table is wacky. Use the adjective wacky when you're talking about someone with a ridiculous sense of humor. Clowns are, by definition, wacky, for example. Most people have at least one wacky relative, and some are lucky enough to have entire wacky families. Wacky comes from the nineteenth century British slang term whacky, which arose from whack, specifically the idea of getting whacked on the head so hard that it turns you wacky.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Steffi Cao argues that we should be wary of the algorithm that incentivizes mindless scrolling, but there is nonetheless something charming about the wacky human storytelling that drives these videos.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
The mere fact that there are six increasingly wacky installments should be enough to warrant curiosity.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
Why it’s worth seeing: The wacky inventiveness Wilson brought to his genius HBO show, “How to With John Wilson,” permeates the film.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Obviously, clambering up and down the dangerously steep pass, ferrying goods on horseback or by mule or — for a few wacky, experimental months in the mid-1850s, Army camels — wasn’t workable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
I could maybe find some mad scientist to cryogenically freeze me, but chances are I’d die in the middle of that wacky experiment.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
At their peak, bubbles feature IPOs of outfits with much wackier marketing pitches than a name change to something like “AI-squared.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
Welcome to the wackier side of geoengineering - deliberately intervening in the Earth's climate system to try to counteract the damage we have done to it.
From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2024
Cahn: The wackier it is, the more people are like, “Oh, it’s a real relationship.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2023
This improbable story — a team that trailed in the final minutes of an elimination game of the play-in tournament somehow getting to the NBA Finals — now has an even wackier plot twist.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 5, 2023
It celebrated the wackier moments of the usually strait-laced Trebek, showing him verbally sparring with contestants and arm-wrestling with one.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 8, 2021
As Regency-era gestures of love go, inaccurate bird impersonations are simultaneously the nerdiest and wackiest.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
Some of the wackiest ideas will never see the light of day, but the best might end up in one of our tech gift guides.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
Here's a look back on some of the wackiest costumes that have been donned by runners over the years.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2023
Programmers know a majority of TV viewers will only watch video clips of the most poignant or wackiest moment of the Emmys telecast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2022
Season after season, gasoline-guzzling couriers crisscross Paris to personally deliver elaborate, often handmade, show invites, as top houses vie for the wackiest or most imaginative idea.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 7, 2022
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