unhinged

adjective

un·​hinged ˌən-ˈhinjd 

: highly disturbed, unstable, or distraught

attacked by an unhinged extremist

Somewhere along the way, her pursuit of a hot guy turned into unhinged obsession.

—Cosmopolitan

"Is this a new brand of humour? Or is your brain really unhinged?" inquired Tommy.

—Agatha Christie

see also unhinge

Synonyms of unhinged

• psychotic
• insane
• mad
• maniacal
• crazy
• mental

Examples of unhinged in a Sentence

destined to become one of the nation's most notorious serial killers, he apparently became unhinged as a result of being abandoned as a young teen

Recent Examples on the Web

Cruz plays a therapist based on Perel, albeit one who comes off unhinged. — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 26 June 2026

Just the play on Black women being able to act out their rage in a very unhinged manner, but also a very appropriate manner for their psyche. — Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 19 May 2026

This episode does a really great job at portraying Rhaenyra’s slip toward madness or, if not madness per se, then a much more unhinged version of her former self. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026

Sheen pulls off a fantastic, convincing performance, displaying an unhinged intensity while rockin’ a sweet goatee and close-cropped hair. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 31 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unhinged

• cringed
• fringed
• hinged
• singed
• impinged
• infringed