Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

kooky

American  
[koo-kee] / ˈku ki /
Or kookie

adjective

Slang.
kookier, kookiest

  1. of, like, or pertaining to a kook; eccentric, strange, or foolish.

kooky British  
/ ˈkuːkɪ /

adjective

  1. informal crazy, eccentric, or foolish

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of kooky

First recorded in 1955–60; kook + -y 1

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.

At the time it was just another one of his kooky ideas that went nowhere, largely because the people around him were able to give him another shiny object to chase.

From Salon • Jan. 18, 2026

I’m a little more grounded, a little less kooky, maybe a lot less kooky, but I’m into astrology, I’m into crystals, I’m into energy work, pretty much all the same things.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

“The Ballad of Wallis Island” A kooky millionaire strong-arms his favorite mid-aughts folk duo into playing a reunion show on his Welsh island.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025

Tess moves with a troop of kooky outer-borough women, leaving the musical with precious few intimate moments of thoughtful stillness.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2025

“I told you guys before there was something kooky about this whole thing.”

From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.