unhinged

adjective

un·​hinged ˌən-ˈhinjd 

: highly disturbed, unstable, or distraught

attacked by an unhinged extremist

Somewhere along the way, her pursuit of a hot guy turned into unhinged obsession.

—Cosmopolitan

"Is this a new brand of humour? Or is your brain really unhinged?" inquired Tommy.

—Agatha Christie

see also unhinge

Synonyms of unhinged

• psychotic
• insane
• mad
• maniacal
• crazy
• mental

Examples of unhinged in a Sentence

destined to become one of the nation's most notorious serial killers, he apparently became unhinged as a result of being abandoned as a young teen

Recent Examples on the Web

Obsession is the wildest story out of Hollywood in some time, destined to make at least 100x its paltry budget, its director, Curry Barker, being offered $10 million for his next, unpitched film, and its star, Inde Navarrette, garnering serious awards buzz for her unhinged role in the film. —Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

Just the play on Black women being able to act out their rage in a very unhinged manner, but also a very appropriate manner for their psyche. —Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 19 May 2026

As Nikki transforms from an ordinary young woman into an unhinged force willing to do anything to keep Bear to herself, Navarrette delivers a seamless and chilling performance that has quickly positioned her as one of horror’s most exciting new talents. —Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026

To Bear's surprise, Nikki immediately appears back outside his car window, acting like a different and far more unhinged person than he's ever known. —Megan McCluskey, Time, 15 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unhinged

• cringed
• fringed
• hinged
• singed
• impinged
• infringed