nutjob

noun

nut·​job ˈnət-ˌjäb How to pronounce nutjob (audio)
variants or nut job
plural nutjobs or nut jobs
informal
: a foolish or eccentric person
Full disclosure: I'm a nutjob when it comes to instant replay in sports. … I would replay the amount of chalk being used on a field if it was thought excessive.Ed Graney
also, sometimes offensive : someone who is not mentally sound

Examples of nutjob in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Is this guy a nutjob? Dalton Ross, EW.com, 29 Sep. 2022 Too many of the bits share the same arc — a seemingly mild-mannered character turns out to be a nutjob — but the cast is fully committed to each and every meltdown. Chris Hewitt, Star Tribune, 1 July 2021 Mitch McConnell got kudos for condemning the QAnon-supporting nutjob. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 3 Feb. 2021 Giving a slap on the wrist to a genuine nutjob requires a lot of political capital in the GOP these days. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 3 Feb. 2021 No danger at all of being snowed in with a murderous nutjob lot at the Rookery. Sarah Rense, Esquire, 17 Jan. 2018 Next comes Bobbi, a cheerful 20something actress from California who seems at first charmingly naïve before revealing herself as a serious nutjob. Pam Kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, 10 Sep. 2017 The premise seemed to set up a wacky sci-fi comedy about the one sane man among a group of nutjobs. James Poniewozik, New York Times, 23 July 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nutjob.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

nut entry 1 + job entry 1

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nutjob was in 1959

Dictionary Entries Near nutjob

Cite this Entry

“Nutjob.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nutjob. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

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