cuckoo 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of cuckoonext
1
as in psychotic
having or showing a very abnormal or sick state of mind a cuckoo woman who wandered around town carefully gathering up useless trash

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in foolish
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment offered a completely cuckoo suggestion for using the defunct strip mall

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cuckoo

2 of 2

noun

ˈkü-(ˌ)kü How to pronounce cuckoo (audio)
1
as in lunatic
a person who lacks good sense or judgment one cuckoo at the campground tried to boil soup in a plastic cup

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in goose
a silly flighty person didn't want to be among those cuckoos who race around the mall the day before Christmas

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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 cuckoo
Adjective
If that wasn’t enough, the internet went deeply cuckoo trying to figure out if Styles spat on co-star Chris Pine’s lap during the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival. — Frank Pallotta, CNN, 27 Sep. 2022 By peeping on cuckoo chicks during development, McClelland and her colleagues have homed in on one of the major strategies these birds, and several others like them, use to achieve their super-swole status at such a young age. — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 26 Oct. 2021
Noun
Two individual cuckoos were sighted or recorded in two separate locations on July 6 and July 25. — Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 14 Oct. 2024 The dense jungle of the foothills of the Star Mountains, where annual rainfall is among the highest in the world, is home to chats, parrots, cuckoos, and the rare baya weaver. — David Escribano, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for cuckoo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cuckoo
  1. psychotic
  2. foolish
  3. goose
  4. lunatic
  5. stupid
  6. fool
  7. silly
  8. nuts
Adjective
  • The counselor also told police Trotman had had a previous psychotic break in which he was found wandering the woods.
    — Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2023
  • Lewis prescribed Price anti-psychotic medication after a mental health referral Sept. 1.
    — Thomas Saccente, Arkansas Online, 17 Jan. 2023
Definition of psychotic
Adjective
  • No matter what your feelings are about Sternberg and his executive team today, these are not foolish people.
    — John Romano, Orlando Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2025
  • There's nothing foolish about choosing beauty over practicality if that's what your heart desires.
    — PCMAG, PCMAG, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of foolish
Noun
  • Players lead the minotaur on goose chases into traps, set up ambushes with exploding gas jars from another part of the dungeon, or even convince the factions inside the dungeon to join them in an all-out battle against it with overwhelming numbers.
    — Rob Wieland, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Best Deal: Quince Luxe Goose Down Pillow Luxe Goose Down Pillow $313 $120 Quince Pillow reviewer: Katherine McLaughlin, digital features editor Materials and firmness: The pillow is filled with white goose down and has a 100% cotton sateen shell.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 20 Feb. 2025
Definition of goose
Adjective
  • With his shock of spiky hair and adrenaline rushes, Smith turns a corporate villain into a lunatic new-wave frontman.
    — Charles McNultyTheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2023
  • The first personality is the lunatic, chaotic artist, with no limits.
    — John Bleasdale, Variety, 8 Dec. 2022
Definition of lunatic
Adjective
  • His is a sort of erudite buffoonery that consistently tap-dances between clever, self-aware, and patently stupid.
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Ignoring those who served and buried honorably is stupid.
    — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of stupid
Noun
  • Once infused with the diabolical spirit, the guide is transformed into a buffoon, complete with a harlequin outfit—a mad joker and a dancing fool who does a little jig to the sound of a jazz trio.
    — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2025
  • The two murderers point fingers at one another, then end up teaming up to go fool Lottie’s poor elderly father.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of fool
Noun
  • It was shot in portrait because it was shot in Instagram by and for a woman who was losing her mind in quarantine and had fully let the sillies take the wheel.
    — Ego Nwodim, TIME, 12 Feb. 2025
  • Some more sillies from last night’s GRAMMY nominees reception.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025
Definition of silly
Adjective
  • Contrary to popular belief, peanuts are actually not nuts.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2023
  • Nonetheless, April 5, 2022, was nuts.
    — Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 16 Mar. 2023
Definition of nuts

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“Cuckoo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cuckoo. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on cuckoo

Nglish: Translation of cuckoo for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cuckoo

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