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.
Those may sound like the Luddite ravings of a crackpot who breached security at an IEEE conference. IEEE Spectrum, 20 Oct. 2014 Three directors seem like a lot for one film that isn’t an omnibus, especially with an ensemble that includes, as the crackpot world leaders, Alicia Vikander, Charles Dance, Roy Dupuis, Denis Ménochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rolando Ravello, and Takehiro Hira. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2024 Germ theory, plate tectonics, the Big Bang and countless other fringe theories lay buried in the crackpot pile for decades before surfacing as scientific consensus. Andréa Morris, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024 The book’s power comes from showing a field in flux and reminding us that ideas have their own life cycles: from crackpot theory to utter embarrassment to real possibility to the stuff of textbooks. The New Yorker, 12 June 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near crackpot

Cite this Entry

“Crackpot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crackpot. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

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!