lunacy

[loo-nuh-see]

noun

plural

lunacies 

1. insanity; mental disorder.

   Synonyms: aberration, mania, madness, craziness, dementia, derangement
   Antonyms: sanity, rationality

2. intermittent insanity, formerly believed to be related to phases of the moon.

   Antonyms: sanity, rationality

3. extreme foolishness or an instance of it.

   Her decision to resign was sheer lunacy.

   Synonyms: stupidity, folly

4. unsoundness of mind sufficient to incapacitate one for civil transactions: a former legal term.

lunacy

/ ˈluːnəsɪ /

noun

1. (formerly) any severe mental illness

2. foolishness or a foolish act

Word History and Origins

Origin of lunacy¹

First recorded in 1535–45; lun(atic) + -acy

Example Sentences

But to qualify for the genre itself—and satisfy the base demands of the base—a movie is required to both accelerate toward lunacy and entertain a certain amount of mayhem.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

These days, as a person working to improve our court system and understand what really creates safety, the lunacy of cash bail is more than apparent.

Read more on Salon

Is it hard, though, to freeze all the negativity and all the lunacy that has been directed at you?

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“Should reason not prevail and Republicans bring this absurdity before the Congress, Democrats will use every parliamentary and budgetary tactic available to stop the lunacy,” Pelosi said in a statement.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

With a show like “And Just Like That,” faith in the series’ future is spun out of pure lunacy.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• absurdity 
• folly 
• foolishness 
• idiocy 
• insanity 
• mania 
• silliness 
• stupidity