wacko
Americannoun
-
wackos
plural
adjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of wacko
Explanation
Describing someone as a wacko is a derogatory way to say they're quirky or eccentric. It may be tempting to call the neighbor who walks his pet peacock on a leash a wacko, but it wouldn't be very nice. You'll often hear someone use the word wacko as a way of dismissing people whose opinions or lifestyle they don't understand or agree with. If your cranky uncle complains about the wackos in town, then he's probably talking about a group of people he doesn't like very well. This informal noun first appeared around 1938, from 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:
Some days nobody wants to talk to you because they know there’s going to be some wacko on the other side.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
In April, he was expelled from the House of Commons for calling the prime minister a "wacko".
From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2025
People think I’m a little wacko, but I believe plants are like people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2023
"We obviously can't be surprised if we lose. We're not that wacko," he told the outlet.
From Salon ● Nov. 18, 2022
For some wacko reason, Ms. Jenna had started to let our after-school class come to the storage room after they had finished their homework.
From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore
When wackos say this, I pay no attention.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
And it doesn’t matter to the wackos and central planners because to them, having more people die is a good thing.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
"When we began working on this 12 years ago and talked about plastic fragments in water, people took us for wackos and now it is a recognised problem."
From Reuters ● Aug. 25, 2023
Now that’s some of the eccentricity all wackos have come to crave, with Pitt 7-1 and would-be-unbeaten were it not for … Western Michigan.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 24, 2021
Maybe she puts this crumb under there before every new patient to sort out the true wackos.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
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.
