deranged
AmericanOther Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deranged
Explanation
Deranged means insane. You've probably read headlines about deranged murderers, but someone might also be called deranged for bizarre behavior like wearing a bathing suit while skiing. Crazed, insane, demented, unbalanced, and unhinged are all synonyms for deranged. The literal meaning for deranged was originally “out of order," so think of it as describing someone whose thoughts are not in order. The madwoman in Bronte’s Jane Eyre is a classic deranged character: “In the deep shade, at the farther end of the room, a figure ran backwards and forwards. What it was, whether beast or human being, one could not, at first sight tell.”
Vocabulary lists containing deranged
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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.
Mr. Bennett is potty about footie, and like all mildly deranged fans of the Beautiful Game he sees it as transcending the boundaries of mere sport.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Mullin also retracted remarks he made at the time in which he called one of the two Americans killed in Minneapolis a "deranged individual."
From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have accused the author of a new royal biography of "deranged conspiracy and melodrama".
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
As we entered the new century and American office culture began to shift away from the stifling beige bureaucracy pinpointed in Dilbert, Adams’ online antics grew increasingly deranged.
From Slate • Jan. 14, 2026
The sound of pursuit still rang out from behind, but it had lessened, as if even their deranged pursuers understood it was crazy to head into a forest fire.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
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.
