noun
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a rich cake containing mixed dried fruit, lemon peel, nuts, etc
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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
A 1953 Los Angeles Times article called fruitcake a "holiday must," and in 1958, the Christian Science Monitor asked, "What Could Be a Better Gift Than Fruitcake?"
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
The Roman fruitcake was a mash of barley, honey, wine and dried fruit, often pomegranate seeds.
From Salon • Dec. 17, 2024
Not a Scottish shortbread or jam tart or fruitcake slice.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
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.
