Synonyms

unhinged

American

[uhn-hinjd] / ʌnˈhɪndʒd /

adjective

having no hinge or hinges, or with the hinges removed.

an unhinged gate.
unsettled, disordered, or distraught.

He became unhinged when his friend died.

Etymology

Origin of unhinged

First recorded in 1710–20; unhinged ( def. 1 ) un- ¹ + hinged ( def. ); unhinged ( def. 2 ) unhinge + -ed ²

Explanation

If someone's unhinged, they aren't completely sane. Unhinged is another way to say "crazy" or "out to lunch." Babysitting six kids between the ages of three and ten for an entire day might leave you feeling a little unhinged. More serious is when voters begin to worry that one of the presidential candidates is actually unhinged, appearing irrational and unpredictable. Unhinged stems from the less common verb unhinge, which meant "disorder the mind" before it was ever used to mean "take a door off its hinges."

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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.

It’s, again, unhinged capitalism and ... felt like it really unlocked so much of the season.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

The New York Post's Lauren Sarner called the new season "an unhinged disaster" and "an off-the-rails roller coaster of insanity".

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

"He does seem a bit more unhinged than in the past," Peter Loge, director of George Washington University's School of Media, told AFP.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

The unmoored, unhinged and overlong “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen” makes a couple of arguments for itself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

George unhinged his jaw and coughed up a little plastic bottle filled with chewable vitamins.

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023