lunatic 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of lunaticnext
informal
as in foolish
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment such lunatic clowning during a solemn ceremony is completely inappropriate

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lunatic

2 of 2

noun

informal
as in fool
a person who lacks good sense or judgment No, you can't ski off the roof, you lunatic!

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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 lunatic
Adjective
Police found Mazariegos, who fit the description of the lunatic hiding in the bushes, nearby, according to the probable cause affidavit. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026 Richard Attenborough once mischievously locked his brother inside a padded cell in a building on campus that was once a Victorian lunatic asylum, according to the university. — Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Noun
The lunatics are running the asylum. — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026 Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Michael Cera, Will Arnett and other lunatics round out the cast. — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for lunatic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lunatic
  1. insane
  2. fool
  3. stupid
  4. maniac
  5. foolish
  6. goose
  7. mad
  8. moron
Adjective
  • In particular, users are gravitating towards — and posting their own covers of — the bridge, which finds Williams belting insane high notes.
    — Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Evidently, the Manhunter released gas that drove Antaan’s people insane, forcing many of them to jump to their deaths.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of insane
Noun
  • Judge Judy star Judith Sheindlin famously does not suffer fools.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Sep. 2026
  • An oxpecker in dark plumage and a bright orange bill perched on the crown of the rhino’s head like the king’s fool.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of fool
Adjective
  • Parents who decline to vaccinate their children have been called selfish and stupid.
    — Nicholas Florko, STAT, 29 Sep. 2026
  • No one is evil, but people do stupid things, which accords with my own memories of college.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of stupid
Noun
  • David extended a hand toward me (imaginary attacks by slow, handshake-wielding maniacs are a martial arts class staple).
    — Johanna Stein, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Unbeknownst to the visitors, there’s an unhappy fifth party already in the house… and more than one homicidal maniac even within that small populace.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 July 2026
Definition of maniac
Adjective
  • With Oracle having lost more than $20 billion in stock-market value today, this appears to be penny-wise and pound foolish.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • While the era’s bust eventually brought most of those ventures to an end, Brown said the experience taught him not to let the fear of failure—or looking foolish—get in the way.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of foolish
Noun
  • On a vaporetto in Venice’s Grand Canal in late May, I was forced to admit that my quest to uncover the mysteries of Northern Italy’s famed chicories bore the hallmarks of a goose chase.
    — Tamar Adler, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Don’t throttle the goose who lays the golden eggs, don’t blast from the skies the albatross who guarantees fair winds.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of goose
Adjective
  • To Hitchcock, the indelible feature of Roosevelt’s Presidency was his desire to protect democratic norms and processes amid crises, even as critics accused him of being a power-mad dictator or a Communist sympathizer.
    — Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The video has so many of Taylor’s favorite tropes—weddings that turn into a mess, metaphorically breaking glass, red wine spilling, mad women, chatty ghosts, symbolic houses.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of mad
Noun
  • The unlikely source is Enervate’s company stooge corporate strategist, Ken Davies (Tim Key), a moron by any measure.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026
  • God help us all if some idiot, some moron, ever put you in charge.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 18 July 2026
Definition of moron

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Cite this Entry

“Lunatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lunatic. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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