demented
Americanadjective
-
crazy; insane; mad.
- Synonyms:
- unbalanced, deranged, crazed, lunatic
-
affected with dementia.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of demented
Explanation
Demented is an adjective describing behavior that is crazy, unhinged, or insane. Someone is demented when they have gone off the deep end. Demented literally means "suffering from dementia," although in current culture it is used quite often to tease a sibling or good friend: "My brother thinks I am demented because I like to eat peanut butter and salami sandwiches."
Vocabulary lists containing demented
Speak
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The Pigman
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"Roller Girl" by Victoria Jamieson
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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.
Doug feverishly bangs out a script and Griff, who plans to star in the remake, calls it “a masterpiece,” though the demented glint in Mr. Black’s eyes assures us it’s anything but.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
Sam Neill stars in “Madness” as an insurance investigator who, sent to find a missing, bestselling horror author, ends up stumbling into the demented New England small town of the author’s books.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025
Last year, for instance, was a “hell hotel,” with rooms themed to demented clowns or terror at sea.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 28, 2025
It’s just another weekly edition of “SmackDown” in Don’s demented mind.
From Salon • Aug. 1, 2025
“Oh! I was demented, dreaming of wild, impossible things, recalling men who had set their wives free, we have heard of such things.”
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
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.
