Lunatic

/ˈluː.nə.tɪk/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A person who is considered to be insane or mad.

The authorities believed that the lunatic posed a danger to himself and others.

A person who is wildly eccentric or has irrational behavior.

His friends jokingly called him a lunatic for his outlandish ideas.

adjective

Relating to or characterized by lunacy; insane.

Her lunatic plans to travel the world without any money left everyone baffled.

The word lunatic comes from the Latin 'lunaticus', which means 'moonstruck', from 'luna', meaning 'moon'.

lunatic asylum

A hospital for individuals with mental illness.

lunatic fringe

A group of people who hold extreme views and are regarded as social misfits.

drive someone to lunacy

To make someone extremely agitated or irrational.

insanity

A condition of being seriously mentally ill; a state of mind which prevents normal perception.

madness

The state of being mad; extreme folly or unreasonableness.

crazy

Mentally deranged; extremely enthusiastic or wildly out of control.

Loony

He's acting a little loony today, must have had too much caffeine.

Nutcase

Don't mind him, he's just an old nutcase.

Fruitcake

She's a complete fruitcake if she believes those conspiracy theories.