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insanity

insanity

231 6.5
A serious mental illness that makes a person unable to think or behave normally
  • noun
  • /ɪnˈsænɪti/
translation icon : locura
  • There's a fine line between genius and insanity.
  • insanity defense
  • insanity plea
  • temporary insanity

It it's, it's freed me from this insanity, which used to be me.

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Examples

  • You will find the cause of this insanity before it destroys our entire hive.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The defendant's plea is one of insanity, not self-defense.

  • I mean, this is insanity, people.

  • Security and insanity are not the same thing.

  • The real theme is that of insanity and the many different kinds of insanity.

  • The earth itself had fallen victim to the insanity.

  • Hunt is expected to go to trial with an insanity defense in early 1997.

    Academic text (1996)
  • If Sarah can bring in a verdict of temporary insanity, then Theresa will walk away free.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • It used to be called moral insanity, now is often called psychopathy.

  • The doctor explained that insanity can lead to unpredictable behavior.

Synonyms

mental illness
vsinsanity
129 3.1

A health problem that affects how a person thinks, feels, or behaves and may need medical help

is broader, also including extreme foolish or irrational behaviour
craziness
vsinsanity
68 4.2

Very wild or foolish behavior, sometimes caused by problems in the mind

is more formal and can refer to clinical severe mental disease
absurdity
vsinsanity
54 6.1

Something very silly that goes against common sense

is broader and can apply to real clinical mental breakdowns
psychosis
vsinsanity
  • Specialized
52 8.7

A severe mental illness in which a person loses touch with reality and may have false beliefs

covers that severe loss of reality but also nonpsychotic extreme foolishness
madness
vsinsanity
  • Archaic
48 9.9

A legal state of serious mental illness found in court

is used more broadly, also for extreme irrational behaviour
mental disorder
vsinsanity
  • Specialized
20 3.3

A condition that causes problems with thinking, feeling, or behaving

can also mean extreme irrational or foolish behaviour outside clinical use
irrationality
vsinsanity
12 6.2

A lack of clear, logical thinking

adds a medical or strong behavioural sense beyond mere illogic
ridiculousness
vsinsanity
10 4.9

Being very silly or clearly unreasonable

is used both for extreme illogic and for serious mental states
batshit
vsinsanity
  • Offensive
4 9.9

An informal word for very crazy behavior or wild actions

can be formal or clinical and also mean true severe mental illness
lunacy
vsinsanity
  • Archaic
3 7.7

A very serious mental illness that makes a person lose touch with reality

is the modern, general term including clinical and informal senses
mental abnormality
vsinsanity
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A condition where a person's thinking or feelings work very differently from usual and cause problems

is the same concept but also used for extreme irrational actions
unreasonableness
vsinsanity
1 6.0

An action or decision that is unfair and does not make sense

carries stronger sense, sometimes implying severe mental disturbance
psychoticism
vsinsanity
  • Specialized
9.9

Condition where a person sees or hears things that are not real and has false beliefs

is wider, including other severe mental states and foolish behaviour
insaneness
vsinsanity
  • Archaic
9.9

A condition that makes a person very ill in the mind

is the common modern label used in everyday and medical contexts
state of bonkersdom
vsinsanity
  • Slang
9.9

A time when someone is very confused and acts a little crazy

is the serious term that can denote real mental disorder
absurdness
vsinsanity
7.3

A situation that is very strange and does not make sense

is the stronger label that may suggest true severe mental illness

Antonyms

123 3.3

A healthy mind that can think clearly and behave normally

34 5.4

Clear thinking and decisions based on facts and logic

Compounds

insanity plea
  • Formal
6 7.3

A claim in court that a person was mentally ill when they did a crime and not responsible for it

plea of insanity
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A claim that a person is not to blame for a crime because of mental illness

How Insane

psychosis
  • Specialized
52 8.7
insanity
231 6.5
irrationality
12 6.2
oddness
1 5.8
eccentricity
15 7.8

Surface Forms

insanity singular
insanities plural

Morphology

insanity = insane (transparent) = insane + ity

Formed by adding the productive noun-forming suffix '-ity' to the familiar adjective 'insane', yielding the state of being insane.

Etymology

Insanity comes from Latin parts in- meaning 'not' and sanus meaning 'healthy', and you can see the same root in the English word sane. So, insanity literally means 'not healthy' in the mind, which is why it describes severe mental illness or very foolish behavior.