lunatic
- (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.
- (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.
Origin of lunatic
Related Words
maniacal, crazed, psychopath, maniac, schizophrenic, bananas, psychotic, stupid, zany, absurd, irrational, whacko, schizoid, kook, loon, crackpot, cuckoo, paranoid, nut, flakeExamples from the Web for lunatic
Contemporary Examples
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 RoyaltyTim Teeman
December 10, 2014
“I saw a lunatic, simply stated,” the victim, a contractor from nearby Bristol, told police.
Everyone on the sidewalk looked at her like she was a lunatic, but she didn't care—she wanted that part.
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 ShowRobert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014
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 ShowRobert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014
Historical Examples
He described himself briefly as a lunatic, and walked on again.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
An inhabitant of the moon, as distinguished from Lunatic, one whom the moon inhabits.
The Devil's DictionaryAmbrose Bierce
The lunatic approached Cesarini with an air of dignity and condescension.
Alice, or The Mysteries, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
If the lunatic caught her—well, he would catch her, but it should not be her fault if he did.
The Incomplete AmoristE. Nesbit
Called a liar and a lunatic, Bernadette was threatened with imprisonment.
The Three Cities Trilogy, CompleteEmile Zola
lunatic
- an archaic word for insane
- foolish; eccentric; crazy
- a person who is insane
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for 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."
n.
"lunatic person," late 14c., from lunatic (adj.).