unhinge

[uhn-hinj]

verb (used with object)

unhinged, unhinging 

1. to remove (a door or the like) from hinges.

2. to open wide by or as if by removing supporting hinges.

   to unhinge one's jaws.

3. to upset; unbalance; disorient; throw into confusion or turmoil.

   to unhinge the mind.

4. to dislocate or disrupt the normal operation of; unsettle.

   to unhinge plans.

5. to detach or separate from something.

6. to cause to waver or vacillate.

   to unhinge supporters of conservative policies.

unhinge

/ ʌnˈhɪndʒ /

verb

1. to remove (a door, gate, etc) from its hinges

2. to derange or unbalance (a person, his mind, etc)

3. to disrupt or unsettle (a process or state of affairs)

4. (usually foll by from) to detach or dislodge

Other Word Forms

• unhingement noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unhinge¹

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

Example Sentences

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that they would feature the “most unhinged in the Democratic Party.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Anyone who witnessed it knew that they had just experienced one of the most unhinged games of the year.

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One can understand any party’s desire not to lose an election, but the Macronists’ single-minded determination not to lose to Ms. Le Pen is starting to look unhinged.

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“Americans will no longer tolerate their unhinged violence.”

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But overcooked is the narrative, perpetuated daily in the press, that Ms. Sears is “unhinged,” as Don Scott, speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, told reporters in the spin room after the debate.

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Related Words

• fluster 
• unbalance