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Glite Dictionary
🤪 Frenzied or wild 🤪 Wildly out of control
amuck

amuck

1 9.9
Acting wild and out of control, often hurting things or people
  • adjective
  • /əˈmʌk/
translation icon : descontrolado
  • After the power went out, the children went amuck, laughing and shouting as they ran around the dark house.

Examples

  • Maybe some Air Force experiment went amuck.

    The Right Stuff (1983)

  • My senses run amuck, like a newborn child.

    Queen of the Damned (2002)

  • There's something amuck with this sponge cake.

    Two Weeks Notice (2002)

  • The horse ran amuck in the field, kicking and bucking wildly, causing everyone to gasp in shock.

  • During the parade, the crowd began to act amuck as the floats took an unexpected turn, pushing against each other.

Synonyms

wild
vsamuck
355 4.2

Very uncontrolled in behavior and lacking control

is more specific, implying violent frenzied action rather than general lack
amok
vsamuck
29 7.8

In a violent, wild way that is out of control

is the alternate spelling traditionally used in some varieties
frenzied
vsamuck
21 6.5

Showing very strong excitement and uncontrolled actions

is more violent and implies active harm rather than just excitement
berserk
vsamuck
1 7.2

Being very angry or excited and out of control

is more about violent, uncontrolled behavior than anger alone

Antonyms

calm
735 1.0

Not showing strong feelings and being very still

orderly
41 3.5

Calm and peaceful, without fighting or loud noise

How Wild

amuck
1 9.9
wildly
104 2.9
restlessly
7 3.7
calmly
110 1.0

Surface Forms

amuck positive

Etymology

Amuck comes from the Malay word amuk, 'to attack in a violent or wild way', a word used for people who went into a wild frenzy. That's why we say someone is amuck when they are out of control, violent, or behaving wildly.