ireland.localmean.com/knackered
knackered
/ˈnækəd/NAK-erd
Local meaning
Very tired, worn out, or exhausted.
Knackered is widely used in Ireland and Britain for strong tiredness. It can also describe an object that is worn out or damaged, though person-focused exhaustion is very common.
Examples in context
- I’m knackered after that shift.
- The old sofa is completely knackered.
How it is used
The word is informal. In Ireland, related forms can intersect with a derogatory ethnic slur against Irish Travellers, so do not apply the noun form to people.
Tired, frustrated, comic, or emphatic.
Work, sport, travel, household wear, and casual check-ins.
Commonly understood in Ireland; naturalness varies by region, generation, and relationship.
Avoid using related person-label forms; they can be deeply offensive toward Irish Travellers.
Spelling and scope
Contemporary Irish English, with regional and generational variation.
- Search and reference forms
I'm knackeredabsolutely knackered
LocalMean keeps common search spellings discoverable. Regional, historical, and Irish-language forms remain attached to one canonical meaning page rather than being split into duplicate entries.
Common patterns
- I’m knackered
- absolutely knackered
- knackered after work
Read next
All words →Evidence and further reading
These sources support the vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, or cultural context. The entry remains open to correction from Irish speakers, regional communities, and qualified reviewers.
- The Oxford Handbook of Irish EnglishOxford University Press
Comprehensive scholarly overview of English varieties across the island of Ireland, including history, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, pragmatics, and regional variation.
- The Vocabulary of Irish EnglishOxford Academic
Scholarly chapter on the vocabulary of Irish English and the corpus evidence used to describe it.