BONKERS Synonyms: 179 Similar and Opposite Words

bonkers

adjective

ˈbäŋ-kərz

Definition of bonkers

as in excited

informal showing urgent desire or interest The friends are bonkers about the new video game, and play together for hours at a time.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in insane

informal + sometimes offensive unable to think in a clear or sensible way She spent her last years as a totally bonkers recluse in a decaying mansion.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bonkers The footage is also a fun reminder that Australia is an absolutely bonkers place. — David Hookstead Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026 There were indelible clutch moments and absolutely bonkers endings. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026 Hulu’s new show from the creator of Luther is a totally bonkers melange of sci-fi scenarios, global doom, and stabbiness. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2018 Rinna briefly conflated the mayor’s race with the California’s equally bonkers gubernatorial contest. — Marc Malkin, Variety, 26 May 2026 Tanyard Hill, located next to Coy Hill, is home to four warehouses built in the early ’60s that also apparently yield barrels with truly bonkers levels of alcohol. — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 9 Nov. 2025 Graffiti historian Roger Gastman—who helped orchestrate MOCA’s record-setting Art in the Streets show in 2011—takes over a 40,000-square-foot warehouse on the edge of Chinatown for a totally bonkers street art experience. — Marielle Wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, 21 June 2018

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bonkers

Adjective

The 21-year-old was nervous and excited putting on the Lakers’ gold jersey Friday at Chase Center.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Mauricio Umansky, Richards' estranged husband, is just as excited for the family's new addition.

— Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026

Definition of excited

Adjective

For example, Fred Again is absolutely doing insane things with the MPC Lives.

— Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 30 June 2026
That dwarfs anything the powerhouse Spain teams did in the early 2010s, when the team was known for stringing together an insane number of passes that led to a goal.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 29 June 2026

Definition of insane

Adjective

China, the world's top crude importer, has not been particularly enthusiastic about purchasing Iranian oil, despite traditionally being the main buyer of the country's energy.

— Justina Lee, CNBC, 6 July 2026
None of these kids sits at the top of the Australian rankings, but behind them is a team of enthusiastic parents who formed a non-profit – Red Dirt Australian Rodeo – to raise money for the trip.

— Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 5 July 2026

Definition of enthusiastic

Adjective

Getting mad about missing out on signing Anfernee Simons won’t change that.

— Nick Friedell, New York Times, 4 July 2026
When World Cup season descends upon soccer-mad Brazil, green and yellow banners decorate restaurants, bars and apartment buildings, streets are painted with flags and soccer balls, and discussions of the beloved national team's games are ubiquitous.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026

Definition of mad

Adjective

Morse, a progressive Republican from Wisconsin and an avid Cold Warrior, had been elected to the Senate from Oregon but left the Republican Party in part because of its failure to denounce Joseph McCarthy and, in 1955, became a Democrat.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2026
Hiking in particular requires much less guiding and support than cycling and many avid hikers are totally confident on their own.

— Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of avid

Adjective

The defense argued that Bland had a psychotic episode due to a COVID infection.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026
The experience in question was a psychotic break that Murray endured in 2017 after spending several months involved with a wellness cult, coming to believe herself capable of powerful healing abilities.

— Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 25 June 2026

Definition of psychotic

Adjective

Brown, though, is in the prime of his career and no doubt eager to prove the Celtics wrong for trading him after a decade in Boston.

— Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Up in arms about the way the government has been controlling the food supply, the common folk are eager to test their newfound democratic power.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Definition of eager

Adjective

Erling Haaland, Norway’s large, maniacal striker, has several exceedingly Norwegian traits.

— Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
The president as a maniacal urban planner is a white-knuckle ride, with Washington — and Washingtonians — just holding on for dear life.

— Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 23 June 2026

Definition of maniacal

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“Bonkers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bonkers. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of bonkers

adjective

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