crazy

1 of 3

adjective

cra·​zy ˈkrā-zē How to pronounce crazy (audio)
crazier; craziest
1
a
usually offensive : not mentally sound : marked by thought or action that lacks reason : insane sense 1b
yelling like a crazy person
not used technically
b(1)
: impractical
a crazy plan
(2)
sometimes offensive : erratic
crazy drivers
c
: being out of the ordinary : unusual
a taste for crazy hats
2
a
: distracted with desire or excitement
a thrill-crazy mob
The fans went crazy when their team won the championship.
b
: absurdly fond : infatuated
He's crazy about the girl.
c
: passionately preoccupied : obsessed
crazy about boats
3
a
dated : full of cracks or flaws : unsound
… they were very crazy, wretched cabins …Charles Dickens
b
dated : crooked, askew
crazily adverb
craziness noun
plural crazinesses
… an inside view of the craziness of Hollywood and the media moguls who run it. Emily Melton

crazy

2 of 3

noun

plural crazies
usually offensive
: someone who is or acts mentally unsound
especially : such a person associated with a radical or extremist political cause
… are convinced that Wilson thinks they're rubes, bumpkins, or crazies, and wants to replace them with a legislature full of moderate clones of himself. Fred Barnes

crazy

3 of 3

adverb

: extremely, wildly
crazy good
Phrases
like crazy
: to an extreme degree
everyone dancing like crazy

Examples of crazy in a Sentence

Adjective He's been acting kind of crazy lately. There are a lot of crazy drivers on the streets. You are crazy to have paid so much for this car. You would be crazy not to accept their offer! What a crazy thing to do! Noun A bunch of crazies live there. started yelling in the middle of the store like a crazy man Adverb I bought some crazy good stuff there.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Tauruses will go crazy for something chic, functional, and soft to the touch. Meghan Rose, Glamour, 9 Feb. 2023 Before getting into the chaos of episode 5, that episode 4 cliff hanger was crazy. Calie Schepp, EW.com, 6 Feb. 2023 Bodies be crazy, and Hayek Pinault knows it all too well. Vulture, 3 Feb. 2023 The Board of Health, this is crazy, spent nearly $22,000 on these letters just in a three month span from October through December. Laura Johnston, cleveland, 2 Feb. 2023 With Eric concussed and not thinking clearly, Andrew is the only grown-up in the room who seems to have his head screwed on straight, representing the perspective of the audience: These people are crazy. Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2023 Go crazy with guacamole, too, because avocados are at a bargain. Parija Kavilanz, CNN, 30 Jan. 2023 History buffs will go crazy for all of the old architecture located in the heart of Nantucket, which is most lively in the spring, summer, and early fall months. Janaya Wecker, Country Living, 25 Jan. 2023 Most journalists will go crazy saying December’s jobs report is terrific. Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2023
Noun
The campus crazies demanding safe spaces seem to have polluted the entire culture with fear and anxiety. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 2 May 2020 Doyle’s message to stir-crazy, nature-seeking folks: Feel free to hike and enjoy the great outdoors. Ron Kroichick, SFChronicle.com, 25 Apr. 2020 There are four types of winter drivers: plodders, joggers, speeders and crazies. cleveland, 8 Feb. 2020 There are a lot of crazies in the city and a lot of bad guys. Carl Nolte, SFChronicle.com, 11 Jan. 2020 The Crimson Tide’s student section under first-year coach Nate Oats doesn’t have a catchy new nickname yet, but the hardhat wearing Crimson crazies showed up in force for the home team’s gritty 77-74 victory against Kansas State. Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 28 Jan. 2020 Please don’t engage with the crazies in the comments. Christina Oehler, Health.com, 15 Nov. 2019 Players marveled at the crowd’s enthusiasm after the game, and Gruden kept his tradition of visiting with the crazies after a Raiders win. Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 14 Sep. 2019 That’s the same thing that the Dayton, Ohio shooter did…You have fringe crazies on all sides. Bill Lambrecht, ExpressNews.com, 7 Aug. 2019
Adverb
For a smart woman hyper-alert to the nature of language, Adriaan’s oblique, infrequent text messages create a crazy-making predicament. Washington Post, 13 July 2021 When Teigen and her husband, John Legend, first started trying to have a baby, not getting pregnant felt crazy-making. Jenny Singer, Glamour, 20 Apr. 2021 Then the internet started going crazy over whipping instant coffee and shortcut recipes. Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 May 2020 Of course, Amy's fans are going crazy over the engagement announcement. Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, 20 Sep. 2019 The twitter world is going crazy over this epic pitch by Oliver Drake of the Tampa Bay Rays. Rhett Allain, WIRED, 31 July 2019 While everyone is going crazy over the deals at Amazon for Prime Day right now, Newegg is sneaking through the back door of the bargain basement with its FantasTech sale. Ian Paul, PCWorld, 17 July 2018 The Fake News is going crazy making up false stories and using only unnamed sources (who don’t exist). Ryan Teague Beckwith, Time, 7 June 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crazy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

see craze entry 1

Noun

see craze entry 1

Adverb

see craze entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Noun

1794, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1825, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crazy was in 1582

Dictionary Entries Near crazy

Cite this Entry

“Crazy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crazy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

crazy

adjective
cra·​zy
ˈkrā-zē
crazier; craziest
1
: having a diseased or abnormal mind : insane
2
: not sensible or logical
that's a crazy idea
3
: very excited or pleased
crazy about the new car
crazily
-zə-lē
adverb
craziness
-zē-nəs
noun

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