Skip to main content
nut

nut

199 7.5
A person who behaves in a silly or strange way
  • noun
  • /nʌt/
  • Informal
: loco
  • You're nuts.
  • think you're a nut

Even the nuttiest of nuts think Mike Johnson is a huge nut.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • I'm so angry, I'm going nuts.

  • "Your mother comes to town and all the nuts come out," Dad says.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Who are you talking to, nut case?

  • Yeah, well, she is a nut job, and I'm not going on any date.

  • It's a town full of nuts.

  • But that religious nut in the background, you went after him, didn't you?

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Even the nuttiest of nuts think Mike Johnson is a huge nut.

  • Some of them look at her like she's nuts, a few shake their heads, and one man finally stops.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Reed looks at him like he's nuts as they turn a corner in the hallway.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Everyone in the office thinks John is a total nut because of his wild ideas.

Synonyms

crackpot
vsnut
  • Offensive
38 8.2

A person who has strange or unrealistic ideas

is lighter and more playful, not focused on peculiar ideas or beliefs
kook
vsnut
  • Offensive
37 8.8

A person who behaves in a very strange or wild way

is gentler and often funny rather than strongly extreme or critical
nutcase
vsnut
  • Offensive
36 8.6

A person who behaves very strangely and may be dangerous

is usually playful and harmless rather than implying danger or risk
fruitcake
vsnut
  • Offensive
22 8.4

A person who behaves in an odd or funny way

is broadly similar but implies mild light-hearted eccentricity rather than whimsy
crank
vsnut
  • Offensive
21 7.7

A person who is often angry and has strange ideas

is friendlier and joking rather than critical about mood or beliefs
whacko
vsnut
  • Offensive
14 9.7

A person who behaves in strange or silly ways

is lighter and usually more humorous rather than harsh or hostile
nutbag
vsnut
  • Offensive
4 8.6

A person who acts in a silly or strange way

is more playful and light-hearted whereas this is plainly informal
nutball
vsnut
  • Offensive
4 8.5

A person who acts silly or strange to make others laugh

is similar but stresses eccentric humour rather than only harmless silliness
loco
vsnut
  • Offensive
4 9.8

A person who behaves in a strange or wild way

is more neutral and light-hearted rather than being coarse slang
screwball
vsnut
  • Offensive
4 8.3

A person who behaves in a strange, silly way

is similar but more generally light-hearted rather than strongly whimsical
total nutcase
vsnut
  • Offensive
1 8.8

A person who acts in a way that seems crazy

is lighter and often humorous rather than strongly exaggerated or extreme
nutcake
vsnut
  • Offensive
1 9.1

An insulting word for a person who acts very silly or strange

is more light-hearted and less insulting than this derogatory label
meshugana
vsnut
  • Slang
1 9.9

A person who behaves in a silly, playful way

is a general light-hearted label rather than specifically affectionate
cheese monkey
vsnut
  • Slang
1 9.9

A person who acts silly and playful

is a broader light-hearted label rather than a playful nickname
crackbrain
vsnut
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person with very foolish or wild ideas

is more gentle and humorous rather than pointing to wild dangerous ideas
meshuggener
vsnut
  • Offensive
9.9

People call someone silly or crazy as a friendly joke

is similar but focuses on light comedy rather than affectionate naming

Idioms

to bust a nut
  • Offensive
5 9.9

To release semen during sex and used jokingly to show extreme excitement

to crack a nut
  • Informal
1 7.3

To use much more force or effort than needed to solve a small problem

To use much more effort or help than needed to do a small task

off one's nut
  • Offensive
9.9

Acting in a very strange and not sensible way

To use far more force or effort than needed for a small task

Compounds

nut job
  • Slur
38 8.8

A rude word for a person who acts in a very strange or crazy way

nut case
  • Slur
20 8.2

A person who behaves in a strange or unexpected way

15 3.9

A hard round seed with a sweet, creamy taste often used in cooking and baking

wing nut
  • Offensive
10 9.0

A person with extreme political views that people insult

9 2.3

An edible seed from some pine trees used in cooking and baking

nut house
  • Slur
7 9.9

An insulting slang word for a hospital for people with mental illness

5 2.0

Two metal pieces, a bolt and a matching nut, that hold parts together by screwing

3 2.5

A large three-sided nut with white oily meat and a hard brown shell

3 2.7

A smooth spread made from crushed nuts

2 2.5

A sweet snack of nuts and sugar on a thin baked base cut into bars

A small green seed from a tree that you eat as a snack or in cooking

wing nut
  • Specialized
2 2.8

A small metal piece with two flat wings you turn by hand

2 1.8

A kidney-shaped nut roasted before eating and used as a snack or in cooking

betel nut
  • Indian
1 8.3

A seed chewed with betel leaves and lime to make you feel more awake, often in South and Southeast Asia

1 1.8

A bread made with chopped nuts mixed into the dough

1 2.1

A tree that grows nuts you can eat

1 5.6

A hard nut from a North American tree that you can eat

1 7.4

A small round Chinese fruit with a thin shell, soft sweet inside, and one seed

1 6.1

A peanut that is still in its shell, often with two nuts inside

1 7.1

A bitter brown seed from a West African tree used to help people feel more awake and flavor cola

cola nut
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A bitter brown seed from a West African tree that contains caffeine and is used to flavor drinks

wing-nut
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A metal nut with two flat wings for tightening by hand

A sweet moist loaf that has chopped dates and nuts, often eaten as a snack or dessert

palm nut
  • Specialized
1 4.0

A seed from an oil palm tree that people use to make oil

1 2.0

A hard-shelled seed with an edible part inside, like an almond or walnut

areca nut
  • Indian
1 9.9

A seed from a palm tree chewed with betel leaves and lime in South and Southeast Asia

1 2.1

A tall Amazon rainforest tree that makes large seeds you can eat

1 6.2

An edible seed from some pine trees eaten as a snack or used in cooking

1 5.7

A small hard biscuit flavored with ginger often eaten with tea

oil nut
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A soft oily fruit from the rabbitwood tree used for oil

hex nut
  • Specialized
1 3.6

A small metal piece with six flat sides that screws onto a bolt to hold things together

1 5.5

A pine tree that makes seeds you can eat

1 7.8

A grasslike plant with small edible parts under the ground that often grows as a weed

A very tall tree in the Amazon that produces Brazil nuts

1 2.2

A layer of chopped nuts used to add flavor and crunch to food

wing nut
  • Specialized
1 9.3

A tree with small winged seeds that grows near rivers in Asia

wing-nut
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A tree that makes small nuts with wing-like parts that the wind carries

1 8.2

A hard white seed from a South American palm used to make buttons and small objects

1 9.2

A liquid from the nuts of a tropical tree that people use for cooking and for skin and hair

1 6.1

A metal piece with two flat wings you turn by hand to hold things together

babassu nut
  • Specialized
1 9.5

A hard-shelled palm nut that gives oil and has an inside you can eat

A small Australian tree grown for its sweet, edible nuts

square nut
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A small metal piece with four flat sides that fits on a bolt to hold things together

Chile nut
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A shrub from Chile with red fruit and edible seeds like hazelnuts

1 8.3

A large tree from the eastern United States that makes very big, sweet nuts

1 8.8

A tree in the eastern United States that makes very large edible nuts

1 8.5

A grass-like plant with small round edible underground tubers that often grows as a weed

nut tool
  • Jargon
1 9.5

A small metal hook climbers use to pull stuck climbing nuts from rock cracks

packing nut
  • Specialized
1 9.3

A small metal piece you tighten to press seal material and stop leaks on valves or pumps

souari nut
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A large South American evergreen tree that makes edible seeds used for cooking oil

bonduc nut
  • Australian
9.9

A hard shiny gray seed often used to make necklaces and beads

A large nut you can eat with a hard brown shell and creamy white inside from South America

buffalo nut
  • Specialized
9.9

An oily soft fruit from the rabbitwood tree

buffalo nut
  • Specialized
9.9

A shrub that attaches to hemlock roots and has small green flowers and soft fruits

4.6

An edible seed from some pine trees like Swiss pine used in cooking or as a snack

An edible seed from the Swiss pine with a mild taste often eaten raw or roasted

A large pine tree from the high Alps that makes edible seeds called cembra nuts

9.1

A Chilean shrub that produces red fruit with an edible seed like a hazelnut

cohune nut
  • Specialized
9.9

A large nut from a palm that gives oil and has a hard shell carved like ivory

A thick cooking oil from the nuts of a cohune palm that people also use to make soap

A fragrant black seed from the tonka bean tree used like vanilla in food and perfume

coquilla nut
  • Specialized
9.9

A hard brown nut from a South American palm used for carving and instead of ivory

9.9

An oily seed from the wild mango tree that people eat or press for oil

9.9

A plant from Europe with small edible tubers that people eat and use to add flavor

elk nut
  • Specialized
9.9

An oily small fruit from a rabbitwood bush that elk eat

9.8

A hard white seed from a South American palm tree that people polish to make buttons

A medium-sized tree from southern Europe with a wide top that makes edible seeds like small almonds

A tropical tree that produces large brown nuts containing caffeine used to make cola drinks

6.7

A tall West African tree that produces large brown seeds used for cola flavor

A small pine tree from Mexico and southern Texas with edible seeds and short needles

9.9

A large brown nut from an African tree that contains caffeine and gives cola flavor

grugru nut
  • Specialized
9.9

An edible nut from palm trees that grow in Brazil or the Caribbean

hiccough nut
  • South African
9.9

A shrub or climbing plant from Africa with bright red flowers

How Eccentric

oddball
  • Offensive
18 7.2
nut
  • Informal
199 7.5
eccentric
10 7.0
odd fellow
  • Informal
2 6.8

Surface Forms

nut singular
nuts plural

Etymology

Nut meaning an eccentric or slightly crazy person comes from informal use of nut for the 'head' or odd thoughts, giving the image of someone with a 'funny' head. So calling someone a nut is a light way to say they are odd or eccentric.