as in exhausted
depleted in strength, energy, or freshness
I'm absolutely knackered, so no pub-crawling for me tonight
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Recent Examples of knackered
Yep, see how absolutely knackered and completely nonplussed the players are from a totally new angle.
—
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
The bones of knackered cattle in the glue that held his antique books together.
—Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
The bones of knackered cattle in the glue that held his antique books together.
—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 2020
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
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
The bones of knackered cattle in the glue that held his antique books together.
—Daisy Hildyard, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
The bones of knackered cattle in the glue that held his antique books together.
—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 2020
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knackered
Adjective
-
Some of them wanted to dance, some spent time with their families, others just looked exhausted.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
-
But now, a quieter trend is taking hold in exhausted households nationwide: revenge meals.—
Christine Michel Carter,
Parents,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
While infants and toddlers between the ages of 0 to 2 years are more likely to experience a stuffy nose, cough, poor appetite, fussiness, and sleep problems, children between the ages of 3 to 5 years mainly complain of sleepiness, feeling tired during daytime, low energy and dry cough.—
Anuradha Varanasi,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
-
Family members said Jacobs had talked about feeling tired, but not about wanting to take his own life.—
Ames Alexander,
Charlotte Observer,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knackered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knackered. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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