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

Relevance

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!

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 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
People have been hurt so badly by radical left lunatics that worked for the Biden administration and Sleepy Joe. — NBC news, 7 June 2026 To get a sentence like that in a communist, radically left-wing city of liberal lunatics is truly amazing. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lunatic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lunatic
  1. insane
  2. fool
  3. stupid
  4. maniac
  5. mad
  6. goose
  7. foolish
  8. moron
Adjective
  • However, Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was fined and suspended for five games after last Tuesday’s contest, when two girls sitting courtside in support of Cunnigham said Keaton cursed at them and called them insane.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Continue reading … VIRUS RECKONING — COVID fury explodes as Fauci hearing revives 'insane' lockdown nightmare tales.
    — , FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of insane
Noun
  • There was simply no reason to try to match that; and Bogaerts would have been a fool not to accept it.
    — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • And coming back with a movie that has anywhere near the impact of No Way Home’s untoppable uniting of Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Holland would seem a fool’s errand.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 28 July 2026
Definition of fool
Adjective
  • Parametric modeling, especially when weighted down with decades of AutoCAD’s stupid UI/UX choices, was even harder than programming.
    — Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 23 July 2026
  • The simplest explanation is that Vance believes his voters are stupid.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
Definition of stupid
Noun
  • 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
  • The odd thing about this choice is that, although the DSA’s platform is indeed chock-full of maniacal proposals, on this particular idea, the maniacs have a point.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
Definition of maniac
Adjective
  • Alec Hammond, my production designer, is just a mad scientist.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • Fortunately, Alec Hammond, the production designer, is a is a mad scientist.
    — Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of mad
Noun
  • Taylor Sheridan is Paramount's golden goose right now, creating the ultra-popular Yellowstone franchise along with a passel of other shows.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 30 July 2026
  • They were provided by a speedy and adventurous black squirrel, who spent the better part of an inning on and around the playing field and at one point led an army of ground crew members on a wild goose — uh, squirrel — chase in right field.
    — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of goose
Adjective
  • Drawing definitive conclusions from pre-season is foolish — but Lacey has shown his close control, pace, and scored an excellent goal in the previous friendly against Rosenborg.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Johnson continued this week to push for his foolish and counterproductive desire to impose a $33-per-month tax on each Chicago job generated by the city’s largest private-sector employers.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026
Definition of foolish
Noun
  • God help us all if some idiot, some moron, ever put you in charge.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 18 July 2026
  • Mantzoukas was willing to look like a maniac and a moron in equal measure.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 June 2026
Definition of moron

Browse Nearby Words

lunacy
lunatic
lunatics
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lunatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lunatic. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on lunatic

Nglish: Translation of lunatic for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All