lunatic fringe
noun
: the members of a usually political or social movement espousing extreme, eccentric, or fanatical views
Examples of lunatic fringe in a Sentence
His nomination is opposed by the party's lunatic fringe.
Recent Examples on the Web
This incites the lunatic fringe of the Mets and Yankees fan bases (some who live on social media).
—
Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2025
Worst of all, Trump’s moves to control who covers him have moved beyond allowing the lunatic fringe into the briefing room.
—Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2025
What will surely rankle climate-change activists is that Pielke seems to focus on the foibles of the consensus scientists rather than on those of the lunatic fringe.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Jan. 2011
Under relatively secure conditions in 1928, the German electorate viewed the Nazi Party as a lunatic fringe, giving it less than three percent of the vote in national elections that year.
—Ronald Inglehart, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2018
Davis endured nasty and sometimes threatening letters from a true lunatic fringe.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 May 2021
And yet, in recent months, the lab leak thesis has inched its way from the lunatic fringe towards the credible center of American public discourse.
—Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 25 May 2021
Farhan Zaidi, the Giants’ president of baseball operations, should not make decisions based on the moods or desires of the lunatic fringe.
—Scott Ostler, SFChronicle.com, 15 Aug. 2020
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.
Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2025
Worst of all, Trump’s moves to control who covers him have moved beyond allowing the lunatic fringe into the briefing room.
—Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2025
What will surely rankle climate-change activists is that Pielke seems to focus on the foibles of the consensus scientists rather than on those of the lunatic fringe.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Jan. 2011
Under relatively secure conditions in 1928, the German electorate viewed the Nazi Party as a lunatic fringe, giving it less than three percent of the vote in national elections that year.
—Ronald Inglehart, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2018
Davis endured nasty and sometimes threatening letters from a true lunatic fringe.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 May 2021
And yet, in recent months, the lab leak thesis has inched its way from the lunatic fringe towards the credible center of American public discourse.
—Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 25 May 2021
Farhan Zaidi, the Giants’ president of baseball operations, should not make decisions based on the moods or desires of the lunatic fringe.
—Scott Ostler, SFChronicle.com, 15 Aug. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Lunatic fringe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lunatic%20fringe. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share