berserk
violently or destructively frenzied; wild; crazed; deranged: He suddenly went berserk.
(sometimes initial capital letter)Scandinavian Legend.Also ber·serk·er. an ancient Norse warrior who fought with frenzied rage in battle, possibly induced by eating hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Origin of berserk
1Other words for berserk
Opposites for berserk
Other words from berserk
- ber·serk·ly, adverb
- ber·serk·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use berserk in a sentence
As for the other two famous images, the blood eagle and the berserker—those are the result of mistranslations.
How the Vikings Saved Europe and Got a Terrible Reputation | William O’Connor | September 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere was more than one tradition in the berserker Scotch family to bear out the truth of it.
The Weight of the Crown | Fred M. WhiteIt seemed to him as if his heaven—the savage Walhalla of his Saxon or Danish berserker race—were opened before him.
Overland | John William De ForestIt was not the headlong, reckless, pugnacious rage of the old Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian berserker.
Overland | John William De ForestSuaforlami was soon after slain by the Berserker Andgrim, who then became master of the sword.
Folk-Lore and Legends; Scandinavian | Various
Why is it that an outbreak of savage Berserker blood so often excites admiration in the spectator?
Friendship and Folly | Maria Louise Pool
British Dictionary definitions for berserk
/ (bəˈzɜːk, -ˈsɜːk) /
frenziedly violent or destructive (esp in the phrase go berserk)
Also called: berserker a member of a class of ancient Norse warriors who worked themselves into a frenzy before battle and fought with insane fury and courage
Origin of berserk
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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