meshuga

adjective

me·​shuga mə-ˈshu̇-gə How to pronounce meshuga (audio)
variants or meshugge or less commonly meshugah or meshuggah
: foolish, eccentric entry 1
In Israel today one typically hears two comments about "Talik," as he is universally known: that he is short (in fact, he is barely five feet six) and that he is meshuga.Peter Hellman
The former is a smooth crooner, à la Dean Martin, and the latter is a high-energy meshuga comedian, à la Jerry Lewis.Roger A. Berger

Examples of meshuga in a Sentence

when your mother is meshuga like his was, a lifetime of therapy is pretty much a foregone conclusion

Word History

Etymology

Yiddish meshuge, from Hebrew mĕshuggāʽ

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of meshuga was in 1868

Dictionary Entries Near meshuga

Cite this Entry

“Meshuga.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meshuga. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!