batty
Americanadjective
adjective
-
insane; crazy
-
odd; eccentric
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of batty
Explanation
If someone's batty, she's eccentric or a little bit wacky. You might love it when your batty great aunt visits because she makes life so interesting. The adjective batty can be derogatory — as when you dismiss a mentally ill person as batty — or fond, as when you praise your batty English teacher, who quotes Shakespeare while doing handstands. If someone says, "You are driving me batty," it means you're making them feel crazy. Batty originally meant "like a bat," with the "eccentric" meaning arising from the expression "bats in the belfry," which means "crazy" or "not right in the head."
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.
Melanie Batty has never been charged with a crime in connection to Alex's disappearance.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
David Batty was one side of me and someone else was on the other and I was like, 'Oh my God'... like, it's Batts... legend!
From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026
Those who encountered Batty at Blackburn and Newcastle felt similarly.
From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026
So it proved after Batty chose to maintain a quiet family life after retiring.
From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026
A strong gale opening the sea, they improved the occasion by crossing Batty Bay, when the heavy mahogany boat of Ross was nearly swamped.
From True Tales of Arctic Heroism in the New World by Greely, Adolphus W.
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.
