crackpot
Americannoun
adjective
noun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of crackpot
First recorded in 1860–65; from the phrase cracked pot
Explanation
A crackpot is a colorfully strange or odd person. You might describe your neighbor as a crackpot if he keeps farm animals inside his house and wears a clown costume everywhere he goes. Although you might call someone a crackpot if he's eccentric or has extreme, unusual beliefs or opinions, the word is fairly derogatory and might offend him. People who are called crackpots often take up unpopular causes or conspiracy theories. A scientist who doesn't believe in the theories of evolution and gravity could be called a crackpot. Dating from the late 19th century, crackpot combines pot, slang for "head," with crack, implying someone whose head is cracked.
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.
It sounds like a crackpot invention advertised on the back of an old comic book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
He said crackpot theories have found oxygen in historical amnesia: “If there’s no motive, they can promote their idea that he was just an innocent patsy.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
In the aftermath of his unconventional voyage, Larry Walters assured the American public he wasn't actually a crackpot who had risked life and limb with a hare-brained scheme that was dreamed up on a whim.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2024
"You can't attach Rudy Giuliani to Sidney Powell's crackpot idea."
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2023
“Not surprisingly, most people chose to watch their new queen receive her crown rather than listen to some crackpot millionaire talk about the weather,” said Sydney.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
