wacky
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- wackily adverb
- wackiness noun
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.
When Colbert presented a photo of the Emmy-winning actor covered in bees during a Season 1 episode of the wacky family sitcom, Cranston recalled a rather unfortunate injury he suffered while filming the Fox hit.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
The wacky 1994 film where Robert De Niro grunts his way through playing the Monster?
From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026
Like many wild and wacky ideas, it all started down at the pub.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026
Invariably these wacky scenarios will be more amusing to longtime fans, for whom a frantic climax akin to the lightning-meets-DeLorean ending of “Back to the Future” will play like nostalgia for nostalgia.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026
They spent several quiet minutes wandering around the room, taking in all the wacky games that people used to play.
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
