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nut

nut

309 7.5
A person who behaves in a silly or strange way
  • noun
  • /nʌt/
  • Informal
translation icon : loco
  • You're nuts.
  • think you're a nut

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

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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

nutcase
vsnut
  • Offensive
52 8.6

A person who behaves very strangely and may be dangerous

is usually playful and harmless rather than implying danger or risk
loco
vsnut
  • Offensive
49 9.8

A person who behaves in a strange or wild way

is more neutral and light-hearted rather than being coarse slang
crackpot
vsnut
  • Offensive
40 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
35 8.8

A person who behaves in a very strange or wild way

is gentler and often funny rather than strongly extreme or critical
crank
vsnut
  • Offensive
29 7.7

A person who is often angry and has strange ideas

is friendlier and joking rather than critical about mood or beliefs
fruitcake
vsnut
  • Offensive
24 8.4

A person who behaves in an odd or funny way

is broadly similar but implies mild light-hearted eccentricity rather than whimsy
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
nutball
vsnut
  • Offensive
5 8.5

A person who acts silly or strange to make others laugh

is similar but stresses eccentric humour rather than only harmless silliness
screwball
vsnut
  • Offensive
5 8.3

A person who behaves in a strange, silly way

is similar but more generally light-hearted rather than strongly whimsical
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
meshuggener
vsnut
  • Offensive
1 9.9

People call someone silly or crazy as a friendly joke

is similar but focuses on light comedy rather than affectionate naming
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
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
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
cheese monkey
vsnut
  • Slang
9.9

A person who acts silly and playful

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

A person with very foolish or wild ideas

is more gentle and humorous rather than pointing to wild dangerous ideas

Idioms

to bust a nut
  • Offensive
1 9.9

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

to crack a nut
  • Informal
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
35 8.8

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

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

nut case
  • Slur
9 8.2

A person who behaves in a strange or unexpected way

8 2.3

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

wing nut
  • Offensive
6 9.0

A person with extreme political views that people insult

nut house
  • Slur
5 9.9

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

1 2.7

A smooth spread made from crushed nuts

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

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

1 2.5

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

1 1.8

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

1 5.6

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

1 2.0

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

1 2.5

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

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 2.0

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

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

wing nut
  • Specialized
1 2.8

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

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

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

A very tall tree in the Amazon that produces Brazil nuts

6.1

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

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

Chile nut
  • Specialized
9.9

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

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

cola nut
  • Specialized
6.7

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

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

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

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

areca nut
  • Indian
9.9

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

babassu nut
  • Specialized
9.5

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

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

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

8.8

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

9.2

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

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

7.1

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

A small Australian tree grown for its sweet, edible nuts

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

5.7

A small hard biscuit flavored with ginger often eaten with tea

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

hex nut
  • Specialized
3.6

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

hiccough nut
  • South African
9.9

A shrub or climbing plant from Africa with bright red flowers

hiccup nut
  • South African
9.9

A climbing shrub with bright red flowers used for decoration

A South American palm tree with no visible trunk that produces hard white nuts used for carving

8.2

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

Jesuits' nut
  • Archaic
9.9

A type of water chestnut grown in ponds and eaten as a vegetable

Jesus nut
  • Jargon
9.9

A strong metal part that holds a helicopter's rotor to its shaft and whose failure can cause a crash

9.9

A hard shiny grey seed from a tree often used to make jewelry

7.8

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

nut key
  • Jargon
8.9

A small tool climbers use to pull metal pieces from cracks in rock

5.5

A pine tree that makes seeds you can eat

8.5

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

nut tool
  • Jargon
9.5

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

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

A small shrub with hairy leaves and bright orange-red flowers

Queensland nut
  • Australian
5.9

An Australian tree that produces edible nuts and pink flowers

quandong nut
  • Australian
9.9

A hard edible seed inside the fruit of an Australian tree

How Eccentric

oddball
  • Offensive
21 7.2
nut
  • Informal
309 7.5
eccentric
1 7.0
odd fellow
  • Informal
1 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.