insane
Americanadjective
-
(not in technical use as a medical diagnosis) not sane; not of sound mind; mentally deranged.
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of a person who is mentally deranged.
a wild and insane look on her face.
-
Law. considered to be or to have been affected with insanity, and therefore lacking legal responsibility or legal capacity.
The judge deemed him criminally insane on the basis of his delusions and hallucinations.
-
temporarily unable to think clearly.
I think I'm going insane from all the noise outside.
-
utterly senseless.
an insane plan.
-
Slang. excessive or extravagant; extreme.
This much snow in April is just insane!
-
Slang. astonishingly great; wonderful.
Without his insane performance, the film would've been a total flop.
adjective
-
-
mentally deranged; crazy; of unsound mind
-
( as collective noun; preceded by the )
the insane
-
-
characteristic of a person of unsound mind
an insane stare
-
irresponsible; very foolish; stupid
Related Words
See mad.
Other Word Forms
- insanely adverb
- insaneness noun
- pseudoinsane adjective
Etymology
Origin of insane
First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin insānus “unsound (of mind), demented, frenzied”; in- 3, sane
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Everyone has an old tape of themselves in a commercial that they wish no one would ever see because their hair looked insane," she laughed.
From Barron's
“At this point, I’m forced to have six different subscriptions, which is insane, and I still can’t find what I want to watch,” Garcia said.
From Los Angeles Times
The star power was as insane, but they’re maybe a little more casual in the vibe.
From Los Angeles Times
The auction result was "absolutely insane", Paul said on a YouTube live stream as confetti fell.
From BBC
Of all of the extreme Winter Olympic events, pairs skating might just be the most insane.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
