demented
Americanadjective
-
crazy; insane; mad.
- Synonyms:
- unbalanced, deranged, crazed, lunatic
-
affected with dementia.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of demented
Explanation
Demented is an adjective describing behavior that is crazy, unhinged, or insane. Someone is demented when they have gone off the deep end. Demented literally means "suffering from dementia," although in current culture it is used quite often to tease a sibling or good friend: "My brother thinks I am demented because I like to eat peanut butter and salami sandwiches."
Vocabulary lists containing demented
Speak
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The Pigman
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"Roller Girl" by Victoria Jamieson
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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.
The Italian feature is a droll, Coen brothers-style exercise in deadpan absurdity, with a zigzag plot that caroms off a pleasingly demented cast of oddballs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
“The Pit and the Pendulum,” the first half of the program, translates especially well to this setting, its dark sense of demented confinement keeping my nerves on high alert.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
It is, at times, delightfully demented, a family film with a weird streak — perhaps at times even a slightly sinister one.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025
Sam Neill stars in “Madness” as an insurance investigator who, sent to find a missing, bestselling horror author, ends up stumbling into the demented New England small town of the author’s books.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025
You have to know how demented Dennis and Norton are to understand that when I told them Angelo Pignati caught on Lorraine was a phony and hung up, they believed it.
From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
