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Glite Dictionary
crackpotism

crackpotism

1 9.9
A situation in which leaders follow strange, impractical ideas
  • noun
  • /ˈkrækˌpɑːtɪzəm/
  • Offensive
: desvarío
  • Unfortunately, there is no easy way to prevent this erosion of what constitutes an expert, as actually anybody can pose as one on the internet, and the boundary between real science and crackpotism is being blurred.

Examples

  • Whatever the issue—economics, climate change, or creationism—it doesn't matter; that's the sure route to crackpotism.

    Blog text (19)

  • The rise of social media has contributed to the spread of crackpotism, where anyone can share their bizarre theories without evidence.

  • Many debates have devolved into crackpotism, with participants presenting outlandish claims rather than rational arguments.

  • In today's political climate, crackpotism often overshadows sensible discussion, leading to widespread misinformation.

Synonyms

craziness
vscrackpotism
58 4.2

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

is about a situation dominated by eccentric or wildly impractical ideas or people
insaneness
vscrackpotism
  • Archaic
9.9

A condition that makes a person very ill in the mind

is about dominance of eccentric ideas or people rather than clinical madness

Antonyms

rationality
29 5.4

Clear thinking and decisions based on facts and logic

practicality
25 3.9

Being useful and likely to work well in real situations

How Eccentric

crackpotism
  • Offensive
1 9.9
eccentricity
18 7.8

Surface Forms

crackpotism singular
crackpotisms plural

Morphology

crackpotism = crackpot (transparent) = crackpot + ism

The noun is formed by straightforwardly adding the productive suffix '-ism' to 'crackpot' to denote a state or ideology associated with crackpots.

Etymology

Crackpotism starts from the familiar word crackpot, meaning a person with odd or 'crazy' ideas; think of crack as 'broken' and pot as a 'container', like a 'cracked pot' holding strange thoughts. The ending -ism turns that idea into a condition or 'way of doing things', so crackpotism means a system or situation run by eccentric, impractical ideas or people.