mattoid

British

/ ˈmætɔɪd /

noun

rare a person displaying eccentric behaviour and mental characteristics that approach the psychotic

"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

Etymology

Origin of mattoid

C19: from Italian, from matto insane

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His biographer says that he was a "mattoid."

From Folkways A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals by Sumner, William Graham

"That man," said the Doctor in a low, earnest voice, "is a mattoid."

From The Wonderful Visit by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)

I thought at first you were a mattoid, but you're so amazingly consistent.

From The Wonderful Visit by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023