as in character
a person of odd or whimsical habits
an area of scientific research that's a good niche for social misfits and hard-core head cases
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Recent Examples of head case
My question is, with what AB did to the Raiders, Why would Gruden/Mayock want to take another head case like Jalen Ramsey?
—
Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2019
Brown is the foremost head case and headache in the NFL.
—BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2019
Whiteside has a reputation of being a bit of a head case, and also, in need of motivation.
—oregonlive.com, 1 July 2019
One game Kevin Durant is a head case, the next he’s dialed in.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 June 2018
Grant Goodrich of Cleveland, who heads Case Western Reserve University's Great Lakes Energy Institute, collected $72,192 in the quarter, spent $28,273 and had $48,919 in the bank.
—Sabrina Eaton, cleveland.com, 16 Apr. 2018
Then again, the finale may just add to the mystery, and turn not just a few, but every single character into a head case tortured by strange, traumatic visions and memories.
—Kristi Turnquist, OregonLive.com, 12 Apr. 2018
Neither of the Aboutaam brothers has been charged with any wrongdoing related to any of these investigations or to the bull’s head case.
—Georgi Kantchev, WSJ, 27 Sep. 2017
Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2019
Brown is the foremost head case and headache in the NFL.
—BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2019
Whiteside has a reputation of being a bit of a head case, and also, in need of motivation.
—oregonlive.com, 1 July 2019
One game Kevin Durant is a head case, the next he’s dialed in.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 June 2018
Grant Goodrich of Cleveland, who heads Case Western Reserve University's Great Lakes Energy Institute, collected $72,192 in the quarter, spent $28,273 and had $48,919 in the bank.
—Sabrina Eaton, cleveland.com, 16 Apr. 2018
Then again, the finale may just add to the mystery, and turn not just a few, but every single character into a head case tortured by strange, traumatic visions and memories.
—Kristi Turnquist, OregonLive.com, 12 Apr. 2018
Neither of the Aboutaam brothers has been charged with any wrongdoing related to any of these investigations or to the bull’s head case.
—Georgi Kantchev, WSJ, 27 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for head case
Noun
-
Bruccoleri described the character’s emotional arc in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Then the studio structured trailers and marketing around an unspecified, unspeakable disclosure by Zendaya’s character that derails the wedding plans (and imperils the characters’ romantic union) to stoke maximum curiosity.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In 2015, Robert Durst, a wealthy eccentric linked to two killings and his wife’s disappearance, was arrested by the FBI in New Orleans on a murder warrant a day before HBO aired the final episode of a serial documentary about his life.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
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On her trail are a Báthory relative who is vegetarian (Thomas Schubert), his psychotherapist (Lars Eidinger), two vampirologists, a police inspector and a gallery of eccentrics.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Lancôme’s newest Idôle flanker blends ripe peach with the brand’s signature rose for a brighter, more playful take on the original.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Bigger and better Located in the former Brimstone restaurant and a neighboring empty space, the new Play Sporting Lounge is more than three times as big as the original, with 12,000 square feet of dining and entertainment space.—
Connie Ogle
April 3,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These ideas have thrived through generations of cranks and propagandists and are now omnipresent.—
Mike Rothschild,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The upper shell lifted with a manual hydraulics crank to full-height camping form.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Consequently, while the consideration of parental gun behaviors is not entirely absent from custody decisions, its relative rarity suggests a deliberate unwillingness to link them with parental fitness considerations.—
Marcia Zug,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
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Which brings us to the math rarity.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Head case.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/head%20case. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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