lunatic

[ loo-nuh-tik ]

/ ˈlu nə tɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lunatic ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

(no longer in technical use; now considered offensive) an insane person.

a person whose actions and manner are marked by extreme eccentricity or recklessness.

a person legally declared to be of unsound mind and who therefore is not held capable or responsible before the law: a former legal term.

adjective Also lu·nat·i·cal [loo-nat-i-kuh l] /luˈnæt ɪ kəl/ (for defs 4, 5, 7).

(no longer in technical use; now considered offensive) insane.

characteristic or suggestive of lunacy; wildly or recklessly foolish.

Older Use. designated for or used by the insane: a lunatic asylum.

gaily or lightheartedly mad, frivolous, eccentric, etc.: She has a lunatic charm that is quite engaging.

Nearby words

Origin of lunatic

1250–1300; Middle English lunatik, from Old French lunatique, from Late Latin lūnāticus “moonstruck.” See Luna, -tic

Related formslu·nat·i·cal·ly, adverbhalf-lu·na·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lunatic

Fine, but there are lunatic sums of money being spent on art, surely?
William, Kate, and Jay Z’s Favorite Art Star: Alexander Gilkes' World of Rock Stars and Royalty|Tim Teeman|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I saw a lunatic, simply stated,” the victim, a contractor from nearby Bristol, told police.
Can America’s Favorite Ex-Con Mayor Win Again?|David Freedlander|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Everyone on the sidewalk looked at her like she was a lunatic, but she didn't care—she wanted that part.
New York’s Greatest Show Or How They Did Not Screw Up ‘Guys and Dolls’|Ross Wetzsteon|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is only one word which I loathe more than I do lunatic and that word is crazy.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

If Hawberk knew how I loathe that word “lunatic,” he would never use it in my presence.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the Countess had to surrender, with an implication that it was the only course open in dealing with a lunatic.
When Ghost Meets Ghost|William Frend De Morgan
The Earl of Salisbury judged it to be the effusion of a lunatic, but thought it well, nevertheless, to communicate it to the king.
What was the Gunpowder Plot?|John Gerard
Which of her censors would be wholly unmoved if his room were invaded by a lunatic?
Shakespearean Tragedy|A. C. Bradley
He is now himself called a lunatic, and on returning home behaves as if he were half-crazed.
The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead, Volume I (of 3)|Sir James George Frazer
Possibly this person was a lunatic, whose keeper had been drowned in the Conway Castle.
Willing to Die|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

British Dictionary definitions for lunatic

lunatic

/ (ˈluːnətɪk) /

adjective Also (rarely): lunatical (luːˈnætɪkəl)

an archaic word for insane

foolish; eccentric; crazy

noun

a person who is insane

Derived Formslunatically, adverb

Word Origin for lunatic

C13 (adj) via Old French from Late Latin lūnāticus crazy, moonstruck, from Latin lūna moon

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

Word Origin and History for lunatic (1 of 2)

lunatic

adj.

late 13c., "affected with periodic insanity, dependent on the changes of the moon," from Old French lunatique, lunage "insane," or directly from Late Latin lunaticus "moon-struck," from Latin luna "moon" (see Luna). Cf. Old English monseoc "lunatic," literally "moon-sick;" Middle High German lune "humor, temper, mood, whim, fancy" (German Laune), from Latin luna. Cf. also New Testament Greek seleniazomai "be epileptic," from selene "moon." Lunatic fringe (1913) apparently was coined by U.S. politician Theodore Roosevelt.

Then, among the wise and high-minded people who in self-respecting and genuine fashion strive earnestly for peace, there are foolish fanatics always to be found in such a movement and always discrediting it -- the men who form the lunatic fringe in all reform movements. [Theodore Roosevelt, autobiography, 1913].

Earlier it was a term for a type of hairstyle worn over the forehead (1877). Lunatic soup (1933) was Australian slang for "alcoholic drink."

Word Origin and History for lunatic (1 of 2)

lunatic

"lunatic person," late 14c., from lunatic (adj.).

lunatic

noun

adjective Also lu·nat·i·cal [loo-nat-i-kuh l] /luˈnæt ɪ kəl/ (for defs 4, 5, 7).

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of lunatic

Examples from the Web for lunatic

British Dictionary definitions for lunatic

lunatic

adjective Also (rarely): lunatical (luːˈnætɪkəl)

noun

Word Origin for lunatic

Word Origin and History for lunatic (1 of 2)

lunatic

Word Origin and History for lunatic (1 of 2)

lunatic