bonkers

[ bong-kerz ]

adjective

, Slang.

1. mentally unbalanced; mad; crazy.

bonkers

/ ˈbɒŋkəz /

adjective

1. slang.
   mad; crazy

Word History and Origins

Origin of bonkers¹

1945–50; of uncertain origin; for final element, -ers

Word History and Origins

Origin of bonkers¹

C20 (originally in the sense: slightly drunk, tipsy): of unknown origin

Example Sentences

"It's been a bit bonkers and a bit mad," he continued.

From BBC

“I just thought that was a bit bonkers because I live in Glasgow, I’m hardly up in Shetland, I’m not rural at all.”

From BBC

In the Inter section Richard had already been kicked out for celebrating Ljungberg's goal, while Kelvin "went bonkers" for Henry's strike but managed to stick around by "speaking a little Italian".

From BBC

“The town has gone bonkers over this team,” Johnson said late Wednesday, dressed in a Dodger letterman’s jacket with a block D on one side and the Dodgers logo on the other.

From Los Angeles Times

Next to his bonkers plan for a disastrous regime of tariffs, her $50,000 tax deduction for business startups reads like the Marshall Plan.

From Salon

More About Bonkers

Where does the word bonkers come from?

Bonkers is a funny-sounding word. It’s a goofy, lighter, informal way to say “crazy” or “nuts”—but keep in mind that’s it not so fun to make fun of people’s mental health.

Its origins are unclear, but bonkers is first recorded as British naval slang for “a bit drunk” in the 1940s—perhaps acting like someone has bonked, or hit, them on the head.

The roots of these other words may get a rise—of laughter or surprise—out of you. Run on over to our roundup of them at “Weird Word Origins That Will Make Your Family Laugh.”

Did you know … ?

Bonkers is sometimes used in the construction (to go) bonkers. If a person suddenly starts acting strange, wild, or bizarre, they can be said to be going bonkers or that they went bonkers.

Perhaps due to how silly the word sounds, bonkers is used in the names of a variety of businesses that specialize in children’s entertainment. The word bonk—which bonkers may have come from, as we say above—is also sometimes used in children’s programs that involve cartoon characters getting bonked on their head with various objects, such as mallets.

Bonkers is also the name of a short-lived, early 1990s Disney cartoon series starring perhaps one of Disney’s lesser remembered characters: Bonkers D. Bobcat. The character’s name directly referenced the zany, wacky behavior of the character. That’s bonkers!