Adjacent Words

Insane definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

INSA'NE, a. [L. insanus; in and sanus, sound.]
1. Unsound in mind or intellect; mad; deranged in mind; delirious; distracted. [In this sense of making mad, it is little used.]
2. Used by or appropriated to insane persons; as an insane hospital.
INSA'NE, n. An insane person; as a hospital for the insane.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement; "was declared insane"; "insane laughter" [ant: sane]
2: very foolish; "harebrained ideas"; "took insane risks behind the wheel"; "a completely mad scheme to build a bridge between two mountains" [syn: harebrained, insane, mad]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Latin insanus, from in- + sanus sane Date: circa 1550 1. mentally disordered ; exhibiting insanity 2. used by, typical of, or intended for insane persons <an insane asylum> 3. absurd <an insane scheme for making money> 4. extreme 1 • insanely adverb • insaneness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 not of sound mind; mad. 2 colloq. extremely foolish; irrational. Derivatives: insanely adv. insaneness n. insanity n. (pl. -ies). Etymology: L insanus (as IN-(1), sanus healthy)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Insane In*sane", a. [L. insanus. See In- not, and Sane.] 1. Exhibiting unsoundness or disorded of mind; not sane; mad; deranged in mind; delirious; distracted. See Insanity, 2. 2. Used by, or appropriated to, insane persons; as, an insane hospital. 3. Causing insanity or madness. [R.] Or have we eaten on the insaneroot That takes the reason prisoner ? --Shak. 4. Characterized by insanity or the utmost folly; chimerical; unpractical; as, an insane plan, attempt, etc. I know not which was the insane measure. --Southey.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. Someone who is insane has a mind that does not work in a normal way, with the result that their behaviour is very strange. Some people simply can't take it and they just go insane... = mad ADJ: usu v-link ADJ 2. If you describe a decision or action as insane, you think it is very foolish or excessive. I said, 'Listen, this is completely insane.' ADJ [disapproval] • insanely I would be insanely jealous if Bill left me for another woman. ADV: usu ADV adj, also ADV with v

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Deranged, crazy, crazed, lunatic, mad, distracted, demented, delirious, out of one's mind, out of one's head, out of one's senses, out of one's wits.

Moby Thesaurus

abnormal, absurd, apish, asinine, at fever pitch, batty, bedlamite, befooled, beguiled, bereft of reason, besotted, bonkers, brainless, brainsick, buffoonish, buggy, bughouse, bugs, certifiable, cockeyed, crackbrained, cracked, crackers, cranky, crazed, crazy, credulous, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dazed, delirious, deluded, demented, deprived of reason, deranged, disordered, disoriented, distraught, dizzy, doting, dotty, dull, dumb, eccentric, fanatical, fatuitous, fatuous, febrile, feverish, flaky, flighty, fond, fool, foolheaded, foolish, frantic, frenetic, frenzied, fruity, fuddled, furious, futile, gaga, goofy, gulled, hallucinated, hectic, hysteric, idiotic, imbecile, imbecilic, inane, inept, infatuated, irrational, irresponsible, kinky, kooky, loco, loony, loopy, ludicrous, lunatic, mad, maddened, maniac, maniacal, manic, maudlin, mazed, mental, mentally deficient, meshuggah, mindless, moon-struck, moronic, neurotic, non compos, non compos mentis, nonsensical, not all there, not right, nuts, nutty, odd, of unsound mind, off, out of it, overanxious, overdesirous, overeager, overenthusiastic, overzealous, perfervid, potty, psycho, psychoneurotic, psychotic, queer, quirky, reasonless, reckless, ridiculous, round the bend, sappy, scatterbrained, schizo, schizoid, schizophrenic, screwy, senseless, sentimental, sick, silly, spaced out, spacy, stark-mad, stark-staring mad, strange, stupid, tetched, thoughtless, touched, ultrazealous, unbalanced, unhinged, unrealistic, unsane, unsettled, unsound, wacky, wandering, wet, wild, witless