insanity

American  

[in-san-i-tee] / ɪnˈsæn ɪ ti /

noun

plural

insanities

1. (not in technical use as a medical diagnosis) the condition of being insane; a derangement of the mind.

   Synonyms:

   madness, lunacy, aberration, mania, craziness

2. Law. such unsoundness of mind as frees one from legal responsibility, as for committing a crime, or as signals one's lack of legal capacity, as for entering into a contractual agreement.

3. Psychiatry. (formerly) psychosis.

4. 1. extreme foolishness.

      Trying to drive through that traffic would be pure insanity.

   2. a foolish or senseless action, policy, statement, etc..

      We've heard decades of insanities in our political discourse.

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insanity British  

/ ɪnˈsænɪtɪ /

noun

1. relatively permanent disorder of the mind; state or condition of being insane

2. law a defect of reason as a result of mental illness, such that a defendant does not know what he or she is doing or that it is wrong

3. utter folly; stupidity

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Etymology

Origin of insanity

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin insānitāt-, stem of insānitās “unsoundness of mind, insanity”; in- ³, sanity

Example Sentences

It’s insanity and, no question about it, it’s also morally obscene.

From Salon

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results, England have collectively lost their marbles and their wickets.

From BBC

Her lawyers had argued she was not guilty by reason of insanity and that the death of her husband in 2017 sent her into a depressive spiral.

From Barron's

The level of insanity that surrounded them was unimaginable.

From Los Angeles Times

As for Pets.com, which ended up as the poster child for dot-com insanity?

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• absurdity
• alienation
• craziness
• folly
• frenzy
• hysteria
• irresponsibility
• lunacy
• madness
• mental disorder