lunacy

noun

lu·na·cy | \ ˈlü-nə-sē

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

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about lunacy

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of lunacy in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

These gamers sensed that running the ball with your quarterback under center, to obey traditions that dated back to leather helmets and a time when the forward pass wasn’t even legal, was nothing short of lunacy. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "The NBA and NFL Have Become Videogames," 6 Nov. 2018 The Cup has driven some men to lunacy, others to bankruptcy. — Luke O'brien, Town & Country, "Hot Pursuit," 1 Sep. 2013 On top of this, the reaction of young Elliott to the news that football's coming home would be the exact feeling of lunacy that would greet us all if England do win the World Cup this weekend. — SI.com, "It's Coming Home: 6 of the Best England World Cup Memes of the Summer So Far," 11 July 2018 Despite being an Arizona senator for the past 32 years, he’s done nothing to address the open-border lunacy and invasion that’s increased crime and strained the resources of his own state. — Ed Stockly, latimes.com, "Calendar Letters: Jane Pauley, John McCain, Roseanne Barr and more," 31 May 2018 Three centuries ago, notes the narrator— Willem Dafoe reading a text by the director and Robert Macfarlane —climbing a mountain would have been considered an act of lunacy. — Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, "‘Mountain’ Review: Such Great Heights," 24 May 2018 The film’s thesis is that, until three centuries ago, it was deemed an act of lunacy to climb such a mountain. — Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, "Documentary ‘Mountain’ has glorious panoramas," 1 June 2018 There are more than just a few Sapphic suggestions here, along with the religious lunacy, sadism, hallucinations, magic realism and a visual vocabulary rooted in horror. — John Anderson, WSJ, "‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ Review: No Walk in the Park," 24 May 2018 The influences of soul, rock, English folk, jazz, jug band and a heavy dose of industrial English LSD lunacy! — Ron Hart, Billboard, "Small Faces' 'Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake' Turns 50: Phil Collen, Peter Frampton, Linda Thompson & More Pay Tribute," 24 May 2018

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.