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

The whole thing somehow involved TikTok’s favorite podcast host, a Real Housewives legend, and one of the most unhinged audience polls in late-night TV history. —Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2026

Yeah, that whole movie was just so unhinged in a really fun way. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2026

But in many ways, her melodramatic behavior is akin to that of a teenager (albeit a very unhinged one). —Rebecca Cope, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2026

Gyllenhaal’s empowerment story, meanwhile, feels like an unhinged scream. —Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unhinged

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