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fruitcake

American  
[froot-keyk] / ˈfrutˌkeɪk /

noun

  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  

  1. see nutty as a fruitcake.

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.

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

By the early 1900s, U.S. mailrooms were full of the now ubiquitous fruitcake tins.

From Salon • Dec. 17, 2024

Two friends from New York have been exchanging the same fruitcake since the late 1950s.

From Salon • Dec. 17, 2024

The two most common styles of fruitcake in Europe are the stollen and panettone.

From Salon • Dec. 17, 2024

I leave out the part about my sister being older than me and nutty as a fruitcake.

From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko

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.