unhinged

[uhn-hinjd]

adjective

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

   an unhinged gate.

2. unsettled, disordered, or distraught.

   He became unhinged when his friend died.

Word History and Origins

Origin of unhinged¹

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

Example Sentences

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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Angus O’Brien as the smilingly unhinged Hicks is a memorably mad recruit who stirs things up for no reason but his own amusement, and ours.

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The president and his “secretary of war” deliver unhinged macho-snowflake monologues urging senior military officers to wage war on civilians in American cities.

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General Assembly last week — probably the longest speech ever delivered by a U.S. president in that forum, and without question the most unhinged — requires facing a difficult truth.

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His legendarily unhinged 2011 interview with ABC News’ Andrea Canning, which took place after he was fired from “Two and a Half Men,” exploded his Twitter following.

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Related Words

• deranged 
• disturbed 
• manic 
• unbalanced