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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
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.
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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
They were stir-crazy and impatient for the dance floor.
—Lucy McKeon, New York Times, 3 June 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
In 2021 and 2022, American consumers, stir-crazy from COVID-19 lockdowns and armed with government relief checks, went on a spending spree.
—Paul Wiseman and Mae Anderson, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2024
If staying at home during your time off is bound to drive you stir-crazy, camping is a sure cure for cabin fever.
—Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 28 Aug. 2023
So, after two years of living and working in the Train Station, Paulina was getting stir-crazy.
—The Foretold Team, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2023
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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
They were stir-crazy and impatient for the dance floor.
—Lucy McKeon, New York Times, 3 June 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
In 2021 and 2022, American consumers, stir-crazy from COVID-19 lockdowns and armed with government relief checks, went on a spending spree.
—Paul Wiseman and Mae Anderson, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2024
If staying at home during your time off is bound to drive you stir-crazy, camping is a sure cure for cabin fever.
—Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 28 Aug. 2023
So, after two years of living and working in the Train Station, Paulina was getting stir-crazy.
—The Foretold Team, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Stir-crazy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stir-crazy. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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