Synonyms for haywire

Most common

nuts · batty · loopy · kooky

Synonyms by meaning

Adjective

Noun

Definitions

1. adj. 1

   Roughly-made, unsophisticated, decrepit (from the use of haywire for temporary repairs).

2. adj. 2

   Behaviorally erratic or uncontrollable, especially of a machine or mechanical process.

   Those kids go haywire when they don't get what they want.

3. n. 1

   Wire used to bind bales of hay.

Forms

Plural

haywires → bug-houses…

Example sentences

• nuts Gray squirrels bury nuts, but red squirrels don't.
• loopy Why does catnip make cats loopy?
• kooky Tom's a bit kooky, but he's a good guy.

Popularity over time

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters

nuts¹, bats¹, dots¹, daft¹, loco², awry²

5 letters

wrong¹, goofy², buggy², wacky², nutty², amiss², batty², loopy², balmy², daffy², kooky²

6 letters

fruity², cuckoo², looney², screwy²

7 letters

cracked¹, bananas³, bonkers²

8 letters

crackers², deranged²

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (loco² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français

détraqué