Definitions

haywire

[hey-wahy^uhr] / ˈheɪˌwaɪər /

ADJECTIVE

broken; crazy

Synonyms

STRONG

berserk nuts psycho screwball

WEAK

amiss amok batty bonkers chaotic confused cracked crazed defective disordered disorganized erratic flipped in a mess in pieces insane mad messy orderless out of order out of whack out to lunch screwy touched unbalanced unglued unhinged 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.

That appeared to seal Duke’s fate… until things went haywire for every ACC team not in Durham.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025

The plunge in stocks — by about 30% in less than three weeks — sent their portfolio balances haywire.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 24, 2025

Both teams were more stable in the second half, with far fewer chances in comparison to the haywire first period.

From Barron's • Nov. 9, 2025

I managed to get a few pics, but the flames were so bright that my camera’s settings went haywire.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2025

Their immune systems had failed or gone haywire.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston