stir-crazy

adjective

stir-cra·​zy ˈstər-ˈkrā-zē 

slang

: distraught because of prolonged confinement

Did you know?

Stir-crazy originated as a word to describe a prisoner who became distraught after prolonged confinement. Stir is a 19th-century slang word for "prison" that some word historians have suspected to be from Romani stariben, of the same meaning. But a convincing argument of that origin has yet been made. Today, stir-crazy describes any person who has become restless, agitated, or anxious from being or feeling entrapped in some place.

Examples of stir-crazy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But as the weather worsens and stir-crazy feelings set in, the Wrights uncover secrets about one another and begin to question who invited them on the getaway in the first place. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 30 Jan. 2026

However, some of you may be feeling a bit more anxious and stir-crazy, or handling mental health or secret conflicts behind the curtain. — Kyle Thomas, People.com, 29 June 2025

Yet, despite the need to burrow, New Yorkers tend to get a little stir-crazy when holed up in our apartments for longer than a day. — Ariel Okin, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2025

At first, Drew set out to remix Todd Phillips’s Joker as a stir-crazy lockdown goof and a spoof. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2024

That was one wet winter and most of us — including our dogs — were starting to go pretty stir-crazy with all the rain. — Lisa Bloch, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024

In 2021 and 2022, American consumers, stir-crazy from covid-19 lockdowns and armed with government relief checks, went on a spending spree, ordering furniture, sports equipment and other goods. — Paul Wiseman and Mae Anderson The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 30 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

stir entry 3

First Known Use

circa 1908, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stir-crazy

• calabrese
• crazy
• daisy
• hazy
• lazy

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