1
as in insanity
a foolish act or idea
you want to sneak into the building after the alarm is set—what lunacy!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dementia
a serious mental disorder that prevents one from living a safe and normal life
the judge ruled that the lunacy of the accused made him incompetent to stand trial
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in madness
lack of good sense or judgment
was it desperation or lunacy that caused him to quit his job and move to California without any plan for what to do when he got there?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lunacy
Goggins is simply incredible, fully committed to Baby Billy’s comic lunacy yet never losing sight of his recovering sinner’s withered heart.
—
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2025
The public wants the economy humming, the border secure, and an end to woke lunacy — not tariffs and irrelevant indulgences.
—Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 11 Mar. 2025
To suggest that anyone who vaccinates their kids doesn’t love them is a whole new level of lunacy.
—Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, 29 Jan. 2025
As the protagonist consumed by an obsessive need to clean, Jan Hooks evokes Tennessee Williams heroine lunacy.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lunacy
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2025
The public wants the economy humming, the border secure, and an end to woke lunacy — not tariffs and irrelevant indulgences.
—Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 11 Mar. 2025
To suggest that anyone who vaccinates their kids doesn’t love them is a whole new level of lunacy.
—Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, 29 Jan. 2025
As the protagonist consumed by an obsessive need to clean, Jan Hooks evokes Tennessee Williams heroine lunacy.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lunacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lunacy
Noun
-
Sending yet another one back to City Hall would be the definition of insanity.—
Whitney Tilson,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2025
-
Alissa pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but he was found competent to stand trial in 2023 after spending time at a mental hospital.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
4 June 2025
Noun
-
Sedgwick's Cynthia is married to a man over two decades her senior, Warren (Judd Hirsch), who is rapidly declining into dementia.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
3 June 2025
-
And then there's specific activities that lower your risk for Parkinson's and dementia as well, including racket sports like table tennis and pickleball.—
Renée Onque,
CNBC,
3 June 2025
Noun
-
Once again, the film is about the anguish of losing a loved one and the the desire to connect with the dead one more time, the annihilating madness of grief driving a person to unspeakable ends.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2025
-
As Scott stumbles through a chaotic weekend, Neil proves a ride-or-die friend who may be the only sane voice in the madness of wedding season.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
That made universities dangerous, and in the anti-communist hysteria of Cold War America, the government viewed them with suspicion.—
Time,
Time,
20 May 2025
-
TikTok stars spark viral hysteria over saccharine-smelling scrubs and mists.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
The violence is always relentless, always builds, to a point of absurdity, where exaggeration becomes the point, and the joke.—
Armond White,
National Review,
11 June 2025
-
Of all the absurdity in these films, that’s your issue?—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
Conduct an internal discovery and simplicity audit.—
Deanna Laster,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2025
-
While a game like No Man's Sky, with its procedural generation and ambition, might be more stunning, there's something uniquely charming and satisfying about the simplicity of Astroneer.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lunacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lunacy. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share