stir-crazy
Americanadjective
-
Informal. restless or frantic because of confinement, routine, etc..
I was stir-crazy after just two months of keeping house.
-
mentally ill because of long imprisonment.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- stir-craziness noun
Etymology
Origin of stir-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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Everyone had this bit of a stir-crazy cabin-fever vibe going.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 28, 2025
In 2021 and 2022, American consumers, stir-crazy from COVID-19 lockdowns and armed with government relief checks, went on a spending spree, ordering furniture, sports equipment and other goods.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 27, 2024
“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
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 was going stir-crazy, especially after my father dropping that bomb on me.
From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds
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.
