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Don't Get Tired Defining Knackered
An apt synonym for knackered might be the phrase “dead tired” for more than one reason. Knackered comes from the past participle of knacker, a slang term meaning “to kill,” as well as “to tire, exhaust, or wear out.” The origins of the verb knacker are uncertain, but the word is perhaps related to an older noun knacker. That word originally referred to a harness-maker or saddlemaker, and later to a buyer of animals no longer able to do farmwork (or their carcasses), as well as to a buyer of old structures. Knackered is used on both sides of the Atlantic but is more common among British speakers.
Synonyms
Examples of knackered in a Sentence
Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
The adrenaline from having our first child (and keeping him alive) got me through the first several days without feeling completely knackered, but my lack of nocturnal restoration eventually took its toll.
—Patrick Wilson, Outside Online, 15 June 2024
And, if their knees get too knackered, there’s a backup Santa.
—Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2021
Mounting a knackered horse and dragging a fat old farmer, Sancho, in his wake, the don declares undying love for an ordinary girl out of her depth.
—Jeanette Winterson, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2019
Dictionary Entries Near knackered
Cite this Entry
“Knackered.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knackered. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025.
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