deranged
AmericanOther Word Forms
- underanged adjective
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.
The final scene, in which Titus enters dressed as a chef, a cream puff of a toque jauntily placed on his head—he’s baked those unpalatable pies—retains its deranged tone.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
The senator from Oklahoma also distanced himself from remarks he made at the time in which he called one of the Americans slain in Minneapolis a "deranged individual."
From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026
"Those interested in facts will look elsewhere; those seeking deranged conspiracy and melodrama know exactly where to find him."
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
I don’t drool over Renee like a deranged anything.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
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.
