lunatic fringe

American  

noun

1. members on the periphery of any group, especially political, social, or religious, who hold extreme or fanatical views.

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lunatic fringe British  

noun

1. the members of a society or group who adopt or support views regarded as extreme or fanatical

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lunatic fringe Cultural  

1. Derogatory name for the extreme radical members of a group, especially in politics: “The candidate referred to the organization as being on the lunatic fringe of conservatism.” The term was coined by Theodore Roosevelt.

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Etymology

Origin of lunatic fringe

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

Example Sentences

Because of that, “no matter how much McCarthy bent over backwards to accommodate a lunatic fringe, there’s going to be someone who didn’t like him,” Ornstein said.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2023

All that can be dismissed as the ravings of the lunatic fringe, but it is being taken seriously in Jordan and Egypt.

From BBC • Nov. 13, 2023

We hear views on television today that are on the lunatic fringe frankly.

From Slate • Jun. 26, 2018

Sure, Jones arguably says more outlandish things from a position that used to be the far lunatic fringe.

From Salon • Jun. 16, 2017

By playing on the sentimentality of this same "lunatic fringe," the German intriguers almost succeeded in driving through a bill to stop this traffic.

From Theodore Roosevelt; an Intimate Biography by Thayer, William Roscoe