lunatic

adjective

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lu·na·tic | \ ˈlü-nə-ˌtik

Definition of lunatic

1 dated

a : affected with a severely disordered state of mind : insane

b : designed for the care of mentally ill people a lunatic asylum

2 : wildly foolish a lunatic idea lunatic behavior

Other Words from lunatic Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About lunatic

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Examples of lunatic in a Sentence

He hatched a lunatic plot to overthrow the government. another of his lunatic ideas

Recent Examples on the Web Of course, he was most bemused about the attempt to find evidence of bamboo fibers on the ballots, part of a lunatic right-wing conspiracy theory involving ballots sent from Asia. — Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 7 May 2021 It’s another to connect that to a belief in something that appears obviously lunatic like QAnon. — David Marchesephoto Illustration By Bráulio Amado, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2021 In fact, all of the outfits are stellar, from Lawrence as some kind of camp voodoo doll to Ellie Diamond, who looks like a lunatic Snow White. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2021 Bruno fulfills his end of the deal, but Guy, the other man, never took the pact seriously and refuses to cooperate, sending Bruno into a downward spiral of lunatic frenzy. — Terry Teachout, WSJ, 24 Feb. 2021 Few people would stand for a system in which users can be punished for the lunatic interpretations of their followers. — Gilad Edelman, Wired, 8 Jan. 2021 Strong absolutely nailed Carone’s appearance, complete with slurred and mispronounced words and lunatic claims and accusations. — Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 7 Dec. 2020 Three helicopters hovered, their rotors rattling like a lunatic washing machine. — Dave Eggers, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2020 A week or so later, after receiving another call from the waitress, Tommy returned to the house and opened the door, which, oddly enough given the lunatic views of its inhabitant on the subject of privacy, was unlocked. — Matthew Walther, TheWeek, 10 Oct. 2020

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