noun
-
a rich cake containing mixed dried fruit, lemon peel, nuts, etc
-
slang a person considered to be eccentric or insane
Etymology
Origin of fruitcake
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.
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
Fruitcake aficionados will tell you that the best fruit cakes are matured – or "seasoned" in fruitcake lingo – for at least three months before they are cut.
From Salon • Dec. 17, 2024
A quip attributed to former "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson has it that "There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other."
From Salon • Dec. 17, 2024
Haters and disrespect aside, fruitcake is still a robust American tradition: The website Serious Eats reports that over 2 million fruitcakes are still sold each year.
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
![]()
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.