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.
Wineman isn’t afraid to spelunk truly deranged depths, but what’s remarkable is how much style he incorporates into the film’s most outré moments.
From Salon • Apr. 5, 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
In 2022, after a deranged killer shot schoolchildren in Uvalde, Texas, Mr. Cornyn was among 15 Republicans who voted for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which strengthened “red flag” laws and background checks.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
The Amity must be deranged if this is how they really think.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
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.
