deranged

adjective

de·​ranged di-ˈrānjd 

1

often offensive : mentally unsound : insane sense 1b

—not used technically

2

sometimes offensive : wildly odd or eccentric

His life was crowded, rather than peacefully isolated, and certainly never of an Olympian detachment, even though he was capable of quite deranged gestures of show-offy extravagance—such as buying an enormous house, more suitable for a banker than a painter …

—Robert Hughes

Or you could take part in a deranged computer game where you had to cycle after a huge beach ball, scoop it up and throw it through a hoop, scoring points for each goal.

—Natasha Ellis

3

dated, now sometimes offensive : disturbed or disordered in function, structure, or condition

My leg was propped up on a library chair at the time, as it was too deranged to bend.

—Cynthia Gorney

But other work indicates that, in addition, the B lymphocytes of lupus patients are inherently deranged …

—Moncef Zouali

Synonyms of deranged

• psychotic
• insane
• mad
• maniacal
• crazy

Examples of deranged in a Sentence

a deranged prisoner who had been in that rat-infested hole for 20 years

Recent Examples on the Web

Those earliest Survivor seasons also featured some of the show’s nastiest gameplay, often courtesy of its most deranged contestants. —David Canfield, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026

There is something a little deranged about hearing Mazzulla talk about love. —Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025

These movies are such a deranged vibe. —Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2025

The couple first hard-launched their relationship in the real world in Paris on October 25—at the no less delightfully deranged destination known as Crazy Horse cabaret and strip club—where Perry was celebrating her 41st birthday. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 7 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1743, in the meaning defined at sense 1