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lunatic

[ loo-nuh-tik ]
/ ˈlu nə tÉȘk /
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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-kuhl] /luˈnĂŠt ÉȘ kəl/ (for defs. 4, 5, 7).
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Origin of lunatic

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

OTHER WORDS FROM lunatic

lu·nat·i·cal·ly, adverbhalf-lu·na·tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lunatic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lunatic

lunatic
/ (ˈluːnətÉȘk) /

adjective Also (rarely): lunatical (luːˈnĂŠtÉȘkəl)
an archaic word for insane
foolish; eccentric; crazy
noun
a person who is insane

Derived forms of lunatic

lunatically, adverb

Word Origin for lunatic

C13 (adj) via Old French from Late Latin lƫnāticus crazy, moonstruck, from Latin lƫna 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
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