unhinged

[uhn-hinjd]

adjective

1. having no hinge or hinges, or with the hinges removed.

   an unhinged gate.

2. unsettled, disordered, or distraught.

   He became unhinged when his friend died.

Word History and Origins

Origin of unhinged¹

First recorded in 1710–20; unhinged ( def. 1 ) un- ¹ + hinged ( def. ); unhinged ( def. 2 ) unhinge + -ed ²

Example Sentences

It’s less about the policy particulars and more about how these simple ideas drew absolutely unhinged reactions from the upper echelons of financial power.

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“We have guardrails. This isn’t an unhinged ‘Hey, just go drive towards the fire.’”

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Perry acknowledged the criticism in April, saying "I'm not perfect" and that "the internet is very much a dumping ground for the unhinged and unhealed".

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It may not be enough to prevent a lot of wasteful corporate investment, and it definitely doesn’t apply to private artificial-intelligence developers, but it’s a sign that the market isn’t completely unhinged.

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It might seem mildly unhinged that LSU is paying Kelly as much as $53 million just to make him go away.

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Related Words

• deranged 
• disturbed 
• manic 
• unbalanced