crackpot

noun

crack·​pot ˈkrak-ˌpät How to pronounce crackpot (audio)
plural crackpots
: one given to eccentric or wildly foolish notions
crackpot adjective

Examples of crackpot in a Sentence

Some crackpot in a clown suit is out there directing traffic. everyone is tolerant of the town crackpot, a man who never hurt anyone
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The father, Buddy Smart (Bryan Cranston), is the clan’s second-rate crackpot visionary, a cockeyed optimist who dresses in fuddy-duddy jackets and never knows where the next paycheck is coming from. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 June 2025 It was also designed to look for evidence of continental drift – an idea that was then just starting to shift out of crackpot territory and into the scientific mainstream. David Szondy june 08, New Atlas, 8 June 2025 O’Hara is more drawn to the plot puzzles that have encouraged interpreters to weigh in with their own crackpot notions. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025 In his last, most pathetic years, Mark Twain threw himself behind the crackpot theory that the true author of Shakespeare’s plays may have been Francis Bacon. Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for crackpot

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crackpot was in 1883

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crackpot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crackpot. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

crackpot

noun
crack·​pot ˈkrak-ˌpät How to pronounce crackpot (audio)
: a very eccentric or strange person
crackpot adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on crackpot

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!