lunacy

lu·na·cy | \ ˈlü-nə-sē

How to pronounce lunacy (audio)

\

plural lunacies

Definition of lunacy

1 dated

a : insanity sense 1

b : intermittent insanity once believed to be related to phases of the moon

2 : wild foolishness : extravagant folly

3 : a foolish act

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Examples of lunacy in a Sentence

Quitting her job was lunacy. His idea was considered total lunacy.

Recent Examples on the Web Someone had to begin to say no to the lunacy that has prevailed. — Peter Georgescu For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, "While the government does nothing about gun violence, CEOs are filling the void," 10 Sep. 2019 Beyond the utter lunacy of the current college admission scandal is a much more widespread angst among parents and, increasingly, struggles among their kids. — Ned Johnson, Washington Post, "College admissions scandal: Even if you could give your kid everything, should you?," 17 Sep. 2019 In the process, the lunacy of his theories might have been laid bare, and the Nazis who later used Stoddard and Grant and other American racists to justify the crimes of the Third Reich might have had less to work with. — Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, "When W. E. B. Du Bois Made a Laughingstock of a White Supremacist," 19 Aug. 2019 The movie was made back when closing down several city blocks in San Francisco didn’t seem like sheer lunacy. — Peter Hartlaub, SFChronicle.com, "The enduring appeal of ‘The Rock,’ beloved San Francisco film," 29 Aug. 2019 Looking back on the lunacy that was the beginning of ABC’s Monday Night Football, those garish yellow blazers worn by the broadcasters and pioneered by the Wide World of Sports crew were the least outrageous thing. — SI.com, "A History of Football in 100 Objects," 28 Aug. 2019 Astros insider: Home run derby in Oakland Oakland Coliseum created an environment on Thursday where such a thought was lunacy. — Chandler Rome, Houston Chronicle, "Astros fall to Athletics in 10-homer slugfest," 16 Aug. 2019 Ditch conventional gear and use a fly rod, just to ramp up a challenging task to next-level lunacy. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Toothy air show wows as local guide fly-fishes for mako sharks," 12 July 2019 Some admitted to their own moments of financial lunacy, such as running up credit card debt or falling for the extended warranty on the dishwasher. — Susan Moeller, BostonGlobe.com, "The 7 stupidest things we do with money," 13 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lunacy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

11 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for lunacy

The first known use of lunacy was in 1541

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bruit

to spread as a report or rumor

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