stir-crazy

American  

[stur-krey-zee] / ˈstɜrˌkreɪ zi /

adjective

Slang.

1. Informal. restless or frantic because of confinement, routine, etc..

   I was stir-crazy after just two months of keeping house.

2. mentally ill because of long imprisonment.

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stir-crazy British  

adjective

1. slang mentally disturbed as a result of being in prison or otherwise confined

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Other Word Forms

• stir-craziness noun

Etymology

Origin of stir-crazy

First recorded in 1935–40; stir ² + crazy

Explanation

If you're living in a small cabin in the woods, and it pours rain for three days straight, you're likely to get a bit stir-crazy from being cooped up inside. You'll likely be even stir-crazier if there are five of you in there, including one crying baby! Stir-crazy is from the late 1930s. It began as prison slang, used to describe inmates who suffer genuine mental illness as a result of being confined in a cell for a long period. However, its use was quickly extended to describe the restless, anxious, or uneasy feeling that anybody who is shut up indoors, or isolated from other people, might get. A stay-at-home parent with small children might feel a little stir-crazy from time to time, especially if they can't get out and interact with other adults.

Example Sentences

“Everyone had this bit of a stir-crazy cabin-fever vibe going.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 28, 2025

“I’m trying to find the balance between not going stir-crazy and physical health risk,” she said.

From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2022

But now, as the pandemic drags on, “The Lincoln Highway” is a bracing, heroic adventure for stir-crazy, digitally burned-out readers.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 24, 2021

This is fascinating, and it likely goes far beyond the Longhorns and Sooners getting greedy or stir-crazy or just really wanting to rancor the Aggies.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 23, 2021

I didn’t mind it, but Gram, who hated being cooped up inside, went a little stir-crazy.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish