crackpot

American  

[krak-pot] / ˈkrækˌpɒt /

noun

1. a person who is eccentric, unrealistic, or fanatical.

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adjective

1. eccentric; impractical; fanatical.

   crackpot ideas.

crackpot British  

/ ˈkrækˌpɒt /

noun

1. an eccentric person; crank

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adjective

1. (usually prenominal) eccentric; crazy

Etymology

Origin of crackpot

First recorded in 1860–65; from the phrase cracked pot

Explanation

A crackpot is a colorfully strange or odd person. You might describe your neighbor as a crackpot if he keeps farm animals inside his house and wears a clown costume everywhere he goes. Although you might call someone a crackpot if he's eccentric or has extreme, unusual beliefs or opinions, the word is fairly derogatory and might offend him. People who are called crackpots often take up unpopular causes or conspiracy theories. A scientist who doesn't believe in the theories of evolution and gravity could be called a crackpot. Dating from the late 19th century, crackpot combines pot, slang for "head," with crack, implying someone whose head is cracked.

Example Sentences

Their water stays there — although every few years someone voices a crackpot idea about California importing water from the Columbia River.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2025

In the aftermath of his unconventional voyage, Larry Walters assured the American public he wasn't actually a crackpot who had risked life and limb with a hare-brained scheme that was dreamed up on a whim.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2024

"You can't attach Rudy Giuliani to Sidney Powell's crackpot idea."

From Salon • Aug. 14, 2023

Such “skepticism” can start with reasonable questions, and from the viewpoint of the early 2000s, concern about the safety of regular childhood shots was not an entirely crackpot notion.

From Slate • Jul. 30, 2023

At first he thought I was a crackpot, but after I pointed out the flaws in his article in the New Institute Journal he kept me on the phone for nearly an hour.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes