lunatic

[ loo-nuh-tik ]
See synonyms for lunatic on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. (no longer in technical use; now considered offensive) an insane person.

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

  1. 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.

adjectiveAlso lu·nat·i·cal [loo-nat-i-kuhl] /luˈnæt ɪ kəl/ (for defs. 4, 5, 7).
  1. (no longer in technical use; now considered offensive) insane.

  2. characteristic or suggestive of lunacy; wildly or recklessly foolish.

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

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

Origin of lunatic

1
1250–1300; Middle English lunatik, from Old French lunatique, from Late Latin lūnāticus “moonstruck.” See Luna, -tic

Other words from lunatic

  • lu·nat·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • half-lu·na·tic, adjective

Words Nearby lunatic

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How to use lunatic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lunatic

lunatic

/ (ˈluːnətɪk) /


adjectiveAlso (rarely): lunatical (luːˈnætɪkəl)
  1. an archaic word for insane

  2. foolish; eccentric; crazy

noun
  1. a person who is insane

Origin of lunatic

1
C13 (adj) via Old French from Late Latin lūnāticus crazy, moonstruck, from Latin lūna moon

Derived forms of lunatic

  • lunatically, adverb

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