1
as in dementia
a serious mental disorder that prevents one from living a safe and normal life
his incurable insanity requires that he spend the rest of his life in a mental hospital
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2
as in absurdity
a foolish act or idea
everyone laughed at the latest insanity from the town eccentric
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3
as in madness
lack of good sense or judgment
had the insanity to think that taking over a government building in protest of our foreign policy was a good idea
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Examples of insanity in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The outlets report the teenager rejected the state’s plea deal of 40 years in prison and that her defense team entered a plea of insanity.
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Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2024
Repeating the same action over and over expecting a different outcome– that’s the definition of insanity.
—Lisa Bodell, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024
The video taken in Canton depicts a woman who is not Haitian being arrested for cruelty to companion animals; after being charged with the fifth-degree felony the woman plead not guilty by reason of insanity.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Sep. 2024
Smith, who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, has waived a jury trial for this phase.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for insanity 
Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2024
Repeating the same action over and over expecting a different outcome– that’s the definition of insanity.
—Lisa Bodell, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024
The video taken in Canton depicts a woman who is not Haitian being arrested for cruelty to companion animals; after being charged with the fifth-degree felony the woman plead not guilty by reason of insanity.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Sep. 2024
Smith, who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, has waived a jury trial for this phase.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for insanity
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'insanity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Insanity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insanity. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.
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