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Synonyms

fruitcake

American  
[froot-keyk] / ˈfrutˌkeɪk /

noun

fruitcakes plural
  1. a rich cake containing dried or candied fruit, nuts, etc.

  2. Slang. a crazy or eccentric person; nut.


fruitcake British  
/ ˈfruːtˌkeɪk /

noun

  1. a rich cake containing mixed dried fruit, lemon peel, nuts, etc

  2. slang a person considered to be eccentric or insane

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fruitcake Idioms  

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of fruitcake

First recorded in 1840–50; fruit + cake

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.

See Examples For:

And TV offers more cooking shows than a fruitcake offers nuts.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 23, 2026

His favourite treat, however, is the Simnel cake, a traditional fruitcake typically made with a layer of either marzipan or almond paste and associated with Lent.

From BBC Mar. 27, 2026

What you might recognize as a modern-style fruitcake – a moist, leavened dessert studded with fruits and nuts – was probably first baked in the early Middle Ages in Europe.

From Salon Dec. 17, 2024

But by 1989, a survey by Mastercard found that fruitcake was the least favorite gift of 75% of those polled.

From Salon Dec. 17, 2024

Being that he was hungry, he ate a piece of Grandma’s fruitcake.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

As late as the 1950s, fruitcakes were a widely esteemed part of the American holiday tradition.

From Salon Dec. 17, 2024

Maybe fruitcake has its reputation as a bad tasting brick because a few bad fruitcakes have sullied its name.

From Salon Dec. 17, 2023

For many monastic communities, especially those devoted to contemplative life and with vows of poverty, producing cookies, fruitcakes, even beer for sale is the only means to keep the lights on.

From Seattle Times Dec. 17, 2023

When I learned that in the United Kingdom fruitcakes are often paired with cheese, I was smitten.

From Washington Post Dec. 17, 2022

It makes me dream I’m eternally rolling icing for fruitcakes, believe it or not.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

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