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Glite Dictionary
crazy house

crazy house

1 9.1
A rude name for a hospital where people with mental illness are treated
  • noun
  • /ˈkreɪzi haʊs/
  • Slur
translation icon : manicomio (ofensivo)
  • The old crazy house on the edge of town has been abandoned for years.

Examples

  • Many people now recognize that using terms like crazy house to describe psychiatric hospitals is inappropriate.

  • He joked about being sent to the crazy house after finals week.

  • He was sent to a crazy house for treatment.

  • The stories about the crazy houses in the area are shocking.

  • After his breakdown, he was taken to a crazy house for treatment.

  • The movie depicted life in a crazy house during the 1970s.

  • She visited the crazy house to see her friend who had been admitted.

Synonyms

asylum
vscrazy house
  • Archaic
64 7.5

A hospital where people with mental health problems get care

is slang and often derogatory instead of neutral clinical speech
madhouse
vscrazy house
  • Offensive
26 8.0

A very noisy, chaotic place often used to describe a mental hospital or busy shop

is slang and often derogatory but mainly names the hospital itself
nuthouse
vscrazy house
  • Offensive
13 9.9

A rude informal word for a hospital for people with mental illness

is slang and often derogatory but slightly less coarse
Bedlam
vscrazy house
4 9.2

A noisy place where many people shout and act in a confused way

is slang and often derogatory but the key focuses on the hospital itself
sanatorium
vscrazy house
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A hospital where people with mental illness lived and got treatment in the past

is slang and often derogatory rather than dated or formal
mental home
vscrazy house
  • Archaic
1 6.1

A hospital for people who cannot look after themselves because of mental illness

is slang and often derogatory rather than formal caregiving term

Surface Forms

crazy house singular
crazy houses plural

Morphology

crazy + house

The sense 'psychiatric hospital' can be directly inferred by combining 'crazy' (mentally ill) with 'house' (a building/place), i.e. a place for crazy people, so the overall meaning is compositionally predictable. Although the phrase is slang and derogatory, its meaning follows transparent modifier+noun logic and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Crazy house likely comes from people calling a hospital for people with mental health problems a house for the crazy, a short rude label that put the same word on the building and its patients. That's why crazy house means 'psychiatric hospital' today and why it sounds insulting.