unhinge

[ uhn-hinj ]

See synonyms for: unhinge unhinged unhinging on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),un·hinged, un·hing·ing.

to remove (a door or the like) from hinges.
to open wide by or as if by removing supporting hinges: to unhinge one's jaws.

to upset; unbalance; disorient; throw into confusion or turmoil: to unhinge the mind.
to dislocate or disrupt the normal operation of; unsettle: to unhinge plans.
to detach or separate from something.
to cause to waver or vacillate: to unhinge supporters of conservative policies.

Origin of unhinge

First recorded in 1605–15; un-² + hinge

Other words from unhinge

un·hinge·ment, noun

Words Nearby unhinge

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use unhinge in a sentence

Losing it does not unhinge Ukraine’s ability to defend critical positions.
The New Russian Offensive Is Intended to Project Power It Cannot Sustain | Frederick W. Kagan | June 6, 2022 | Time
The young entrepreneurial pioneers of the internet once hailed as heroes are now more like addled aging emperors, unhinged by the absolute power that our democracies bestowed upon them.
Democracy Can Still End Big Tech's Dominance Over Our Lives | Shoshana Zuboff | May 5, 2022 | Time
I let my belly unhinge and got back in my starting stance in front of my partner.
Fake It Like Batman: Welcome to The Real Fight Club | Anna Brand | December 27, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
I know any sort of middle ground will unhinge lefties and righties both, but don't despair.
'Mission Accomplished' | Leslie H. Gelb | June 24, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
Her spirit must inevitably be sorely tried during coming events, and very little more might serve to unhinge her mind.
Baron Bruno | Louisa Morgan

Doubtless I shall become hardened to the horrors of war in time, my boy; but at present these things unhinge me.
The Orpheus C. Kerr Papers. Series 1 | Robert H. Newell
This spiritualistic faith is mighty pretty on the face of it, but it seems to unhinge people's minds.
The Tyranny of the Dark | Hamlin Garland
By admitting that the less may rule or sequester themselves from the greater, we unhinge all government.
Novanglus, and Massachusettensis | John Adams
These continual cries, and the agitations of the body with which they were attended, naturally unhinge the whole frame.
A New System; or, an Analysis of Antient Mythology. Volume I. | Jacob Bryant

British Dictionary definitions for unhinge

unhinge

/ (ʌnˈhɪndʒ) /

verb(tr)

to remove (a door, gate, etc) from its hinges
to derange or unbalance (a person, his mind, etc)

to disrupt or unsettle (a process or state of affairs)
(usually foll by from) to detach or dislodge

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

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