crackpot

[ krak-pot ]

noun

1. a person who is eccentric, unrealistic, or fanatical.

adjective

1. eccentric; impractical; fanatical:

   crackpot ideas.

crackpot

/ ˈkrækˌpɒt /

noun

1. an eccentric person; crank

adjective

1. usually prenominal eccentric; crazy

Word History and Origins

Origin of crackpot¹

First recorded in 1860–65; from the phrase cracked pot

Example Sentences

As Hannah Arendt said, “Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty.”

From Salon

He's found the perfect instrument for his revenge in Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a conspiracy theorist with a whole lot of crackpot ideas but who, like Trump, believes that he knows better than scientists.

From Salon

“Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty.”

From Salon

That group, once dismissed as crackpots, allegedly planned to arrest MPs in Berlin on a day it also dubbed "Day X".

From BBC

He contends that the former president’s phone calls with members of the same gang — whom Pence called a “gaggle of crackpot lawyers” — are similarly fair game.

From Los Angeles Times