insanein‧sane /ɪnˈseɪn/ ●○○ adjective 
That’s an insane risk. The whole idea sounds absolutely insane to me. Why did you do that? Have you gone insane?2someone who is insane is permanently and seriously mentally ill so that they cannot live in normal society: The killer was declared criminally insane.3 the insane people who are mentally ill: a hospital for the insane4drive somebody insane informal to make someone feel more and more annoyed or angry, usually over a long period of time SYN drive somebody mad: My little brother’s been driving me insane all weekend.—insanely adverb: insanely jealous She giggled insanely.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- For some insane reason he decided to do the whole journey in one day.
- It would be insane to try to go camping in this kind of weather.
- Paul must be insane, spending all that money on a boat.
- Sometimes I thought I was going insane.
- The man, who has attacked 13 women, was judged to be insane.
THESAURUS
very strange or not sensible – used about people, ideas, and behaviour: · People think I’m crazy when I start talking about ghosts.· It was a crazy thing to do.
British English crazy: · Are you mad?· Whose mad idea was that?· At first, everyone thought he was completely mad.
informal (also bonkers British English) [not before noun] crazy: · The whole thing sounds completely nuts.· Have you gone bonkers?
informal crazy: · another loony suggestion· The man is totally loony.
completely crazy: · I know it sounds insane, but it’s true.
→ see also mentally ill having an illness that affects your mind and your behaviour: · Many mentally ill people are treated in the community.· He was declared mentally ill and unfit to stand trial.
informal mentally ill: · I couldn’t think straight. I felt like I was going crazy (=becoming crazy).
old-fashioned mentally ill. This word is now usually considered offensive, and is usually used in a different meaning, when you think that someone’s ideas are not sensible: · Swift himself went mad (=became mad) later in life.· a mad old woman
[not before noun] old-fashioned having a serious and permanent mental illness: · She went insane after her two young sons were murdered.· a hospital for the criminally insane
not behaving in a normal way because of mental or emotional problems, especially problems that are caused by bad experiences: · She teaches emotionally disturbed children.· Her experiences left her deeply disturbed.
having an emotional state that often changes very suddenly: · Her mother was mentally unstable.· He lived in a small Putney flat with his ageing Aunt Bunny, and his emotionally unstable sister, Nancy.· He was too unstable to be a leader.
behaving in a crazy or dangerous way, usually because of being mentally ill: · A deranged young woman entered the school and took the life of one young boy.
having a serious and permanent mental illness that causes violent or criminal behaviour: · The film is about a psychopathic killer.
suffering from or caused by a serious mental illness that changes your character and makes you unable to behave in a normal way: · psychiatric services for chronic psychotic patients.· There is a tendency for psychotic illnesses to be inherited.
relating to or suffering from a mental illness that makes you unreasonably worried of frightened: · His mother was neurotic and insecure.· She’s neurotic about her weight.· A bored or lonely horse may become so neurotic that it chases itself around in circles.
Longman Language Activatorto make someone feel crazy to make someone feel crazy or behave in a crazy way: · I've just got to get another job -- this one's driving me nuts.· I can't wait to get my exam results. All this waiting is driving me insane.· I hate doing crossword puzzles -- they drive me mad.· Those kids are enough to drive anyone crazy. I'll be glad when they go back to school.
especially British, informal if something such as a lot of work, worry, or doing something you hate drives you round the bend or drives you round the twist , it makes you feel completely crazy: · I have so much to do at the moment. It's driving me round the twist.· She was really glad when she gave up teaching. It was driving her right round the bend.
to make someone feel crazy, especially by repeatedly doing something annoying: · Can you turn down that TV? It's driving me up the wall!· I love my husband, but he's driving me up the wall.
crazy things/ideas/situations also mad British especially spoken ideas, actions, or situations that are crazy or mad are not at all sensible and are likely to cause problems or danger: · Jade wants to build a swimming pool in the garden, which I think is a mad idea.· You see drivers do some crazy things.it's/that's crazy: · It's crazy to have an expensive, elaborate judicial system handling parking tickets and minor traffic violations.· The farmers get more money from the government if they don't plant crops, and I think that's just crazy.
especially American, spoken crazy and making no sense, especially in an amusing way: · She has these screwy theories about how crystals can cure all kinds of illnesses.· Warren Brigs, president of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce, calls the proposal a "screwy idea".
something that is insane is completely crazy, because it cannot possibly succeed or is very dangerous: · For some insane reason he decided to do the whole journey in one day.it is insane to do something: · It would be insane to try to go camping in this kind of weather.
behaviour that it is completely crazy: · Coppola's film shows the madness of war.it's madness/lunacy: · They can't build a motorway through all that beautiful parkland -- it's madness!it is madness/lunacy to do something: · It is madness for a country to spend that much on its military.
people someone who is crazy does things that are extremely strange or stupid: · My dad told me I was crazy to leave my job.· You agreed to marry him? Are you crazy?· crazy drivers who cause accidents· His friends thought he was crazy when he told them he was going to spend his entire vacation exploring a cave.completely/totally crazy: · Put that gun down! Are you totally crazy?crazy to do something: · You're crazy to lend him all that money - you'll never get it back.
also be crackers British spoken informal to be crazy: · People will think you're crackers if you go around talking to yourself like that.· The guy's completely nuts! He goes around in nothing but a pair of shorts in the middle of winter.
British spoken crazy: · You spent $190 on a pair of shoes? You must be mad!completely mad/barmy: · Monica's new boyfriend is completely barmy. He calls her almost every day from Australia.mad/barmy to do something: · She's mad to turn down an offer like that.· I must have been mad to let myself become involved with someone like Dennis.
especially spoken you say someone is insane or out of their mind if they do something or intend to do something that is completely crazy: · Anyone who would take a boat out in this weather must be insane.· Tell the police? Are you out of your mind?
say this when you think someone is crazy because they have done something that you do not approve of or agree with: · A man who would give his fourteen-year-old son a motorcycle has obviously taken leave of his senses.· If you ask me, anyone who believes in UFOs needs their head examined.
informal also dotty/batty British informal crazy - use this to describe someone, especially an old person, who behaves in a slightly strange but often amusing way: · Grandma can act kind of nutty at times.· My uncle frequently wore shoes which didn't match, and everyone thought he was a bit dotty.· Next door to us lived a batty old lady who used to have long conversations with her plants.
informal someone who is out to lunch or out of their tree behaves in a strange, confused way and does not seem to know what is happening around them: · Our English teacher's really out to lunch -- the class started five weeks ago and she hasn't even asked our names yet.· He is quoted as saying privately that he thinks the former prime minister is 'out of her tree'.
especially American, informal someone who seems unable to think clearly or do what they should do, and behaves in a strange but often amusing way: · Christy was kind of flaky, but everyone liked her.· You couldn't trust Sam to do anything important. He was too flaky.
also be a couple of cans short of a six-pack/be a few clowns short of a circus etc strange and slightly crazy: · I always thought Toby was one sandwich short of a picnic. Do you remember how he would sometimes work naked in the garden? · Come on. Let's face it - nobody trusts the guy because he's at least one clown short of a circus.
informal slightly crazy, often in an amusing way: · "Fernando can be really weird sometimes." "Yeah, he's got a screw loose, no question."
mentally ill someone who is mentally ill has an illness of the mind which affects the way that they behave: · Many of these homeless people have been mentally ill at some time.the mentally ill (=people who are mentally ill): · He works in a hostel for the mentally ill.
connected with mental illness or people who are mentally ill: mental hospital/patient/institution: · a hospital ward for non-violent mental patientsmental problem/disorder/breakdown: · We knew she had been having mental problems.
formal permanently and seriously mentally ill, so that you cannot have a normal life - use this in legal contexts or in descriptions of people who lived in the past: · The man, who has attacked 13 women, was judged to be insane.go insane (=become seriously mentally ill): · Sometimes I thought I was going insane.
British crazy especially American mentally ill - use this in conversations or stories, but not in formal, medical, or legal English: · We soon realized that the old man was completely mad.· There's this crazy woman in our town who eats glass.go mad/crazy: · They say she went mad after her family were killed in a fire.
if someone is unstable , their emotional state often changes very suddenly, and they are likely to become angry, violent etc: · Working with Clare every day, I began to realize how unstable she was.emotionally/mentally unstable: · He is emotionally unstable, and his aggressive attitude often culminates in violence.
an old person who is confused has become mentally ill so that they cannot remember things or think clearly: · Aunt Clara had been so sharp, so witty, but now she is just a sad, confused old woman.
to become mentally ill to become mentally ill, usually as a result of working too hard or difficult emotional problems, and be temporarily unable to deal with ordinary things such as working or looking after your family: · After her divorce, Dora had a nervous breakdown and was off work for three months.· She sounds really bad. I think she's heading for a nervous breakdown.
informal to suddenly become unable to continue your normal life, especially because you have been working too hard or doing something that is very frightening, dangerous etc: · I think Paul's cracking up under the strain of work.· Some people can't cope with the death of a loved one, and simply crack up.
also go mad British, /go crazy especially American to become seriously and permanently mentally ill - used in ordinary English, but not official or medical contexts: · Eventually, rejected by Hamlet, Ophelia goes mad and drowns herself.· I wondered if I was going crazy. Everyone seemed to be against me.· Conditions on the oil rig are very unpleasant. You'd go insane if you had to stay more than a month or so.
WORD SETSabscess, nounache, verbache, nounacne, nounagoraphobia, nounagoraphobic, nounague, noun-aholic, suffixAIDS, nounailment, nounairsick, adjectivealbino, nounalcoholic, nounalcoholism, nounallergic, adjectiveallergy, nounamnesia, nounamputee, nounanaemia, nounanaemic, adjectiveangina, nounanorexia, nounanorexic, adjectiveantacid, nounanthrax, nounantibody, nounantidepressant, nounantidote, nounantigen, nounantihistamine, nounanti-inflammatory, adjectiveantitoxin, nounapoplectic, adjectiveapoplexy, nounappendicitis, nounarteriosclerosis, nounarthritis, nounaseptic, adjectiveaspirin, nounasthma, nounastigmatism, nounasymptomatic, adjectiveathlete's foot, nounatrophy, verbauto-immune disease, nounAyurvedic medicine, nounbaby blues, nounbacillus, nounbackache, nounbark, verbbattle fatigue, nounBCG, nounbedridden, adjectivebedsore, nounbed-wetting, nounbellyache, nounbenign, adjectiveberiberi, nounbespectacled, adjectivebetter, adjectivebilious, adjectivebinge, verbbiopsy, nounbirthmark, nounbite, verbbite, nounblack and blue, adjectiveBlack Death, the, black eye, nounblackout, nounbleed, verbbleeding, nounblind, verbblister, nounblister, verbblood bank, nounblood donor, nounblood poisoning, nounbloodshot, adjectiveblood transfusion, nounbloody, adjectivebloody, verbblue baby, nounboil, nounbotulism, nounbrain damage, nounbreakdown, nounbronchitis, nounbruise, nounbruise, verbBSE, nounbubonic plague, nounbug, nounbulimia, nounbump, nounbunion, nounbuzz, verbcalloused, adjectivecallus, nouncancer, nouncandida, nouncanker, nouncarbuncle, nouncarcinogen, nouncarcinogenic, adjectivecarcinoma, nouncardiac, adjectivecardiovascular, adjectivecaries, nouncarpal tunnel syndrome, nouncarrier, nouncarry, verbcarsick, adjectivecast, nouncasualty, nouncataract, nouncatarrh, nouncatatonic, adjectivecatching, adjectivecauliflower ear, nouncerebral palsy, nouncertify, verbcervical smear, nounchapped, adjectivecharley horse, nounchemotherapy, nounchesty, adjectivechicken pox, nounchilblains, nounChinese medicine, nouncholera, nounchronic, adjectivecirrhosis, nounCJD, nouncleanse, verbcleft palate, nounclinic, nounclinical, adjectiveclub foot, nouncold, nouncold sore, nouncolic, nouncolitis, nouncollapse, verbcolour-blind, adjectivecoma, nouncommon cold, nouncommon denominator, nouncommunicate, verbcomplaint, nouncomplicate, verbcomplication, nouncompound fracture, nounconcuss, verbconcussion, nouncondition, nouncongenital, adjectivecongested, adjectiveconjunctivitis, nounconstipation, nounconsumption, nounconsumptive, nouncontagion, nouncontagious, adjectivecontinent, adjectivecontract, verbcontusion, nounconvalesce, verbconvulsion, nouncorn, nouncortisone, nouncot death, nouncough, nounCPR, nouncrack-up, nouncramp, nounCreutzfeldt-Jakob disease, nouncrick, nouncrick, verbcripple, nouncripple, verbcross-eyed, adjectivecroup, nouncurable, adjectivecut, nouncyst, nouncystic fibrosis, nouncystitis, noundecompression sickness, noundeep vein thrombosis, noundeformity, noundegenerative, adjectivedehydrate, verbdelirious, adjectivedelirium, noundelusion, noundementia, noundengue fever, noundepression, noundermatitis, noundiabetes, noundiabetic, adjectivediabetic, noundiagnosis, noundialysis, noundiaper rash, noundiarrhoea, noundiphtheria, noundisability, noundisable, verbdisabled, adjectivedischarge, verbdisease, noundisgorge, verbdislocate, verbdisorder, noundissipated, adjectivedissipation, noundistemper, noundistend, verbdizzy, adjectivedoddering, adjectivedoddery, adjectivedonate, verbdonor, noundouble vision, noundoughy, adjectivedown, adverbDown's syndrome, noundrawn, adjectivedressing, noundrinker, noundrunk, adjectivedrunk, noundrunken, adjectivedull, adjectivedumb, adjectiveDVT, noundysentery, noundyslexia, noundyspepsia, noundyspeptic, adjectiveearache, nouneating disorder, nounEbola, nounectopic pregnancy, nouneczema, nounemaciated, adjectiveemasculate, verbembolism, nounemphysema, nounencephalitis, nounendoscope, nounenervate, verbenteritis, nounepidemic, nounepilepsy, nounepileptic, adjectiveepileptic, nounetiology, nounexcruciating, adjectiveexposure, nouneyeless, adjectiveeye strain, nounfail, verbfaint, nounfester, verbfever, nounfever blister, nounfevered, adjectivefeverish, adjectivefirst aid, nounfit, nounflat feet, nounflat-footed, adjectiveflu, nounfood poisoning, nounfoot and mouth disease, nounfracture, verbfracture, nounfrostbite, noungall, noungammy, adjectiveganglion, noungangrene, noungas, noungash, noungastric, adjectivegastritis, noungastroenteritis, nounGerman measles, nounget, verbgingivitis, nounglandular fever, nounglaucoma, noungnarled, adjectivegonorrhea, noungout, noungrand mal, noungraze, verbgraze, noungriping, adjectivegroggy, adjectivegrowing pains, noungrowth, noungush, verbgynaecology, nounhacking cough, nounhaemophilia, nounhaemophiliac, nounhaemorrhage, nounhaemorrhage, verbhaemorrhoids, nounhalitosis, nounhandicap, nounhandicapped, adjectivehangover, nounhard of hearing, adjectiveharelip, nounhay fever, nounheadache, nounhealth, nounheart attack, nounheartburn, nounheart disease, nounheart failure, nounheat exhaustion, nounheat rash, nounheatstroke, nounheave, verbhepatitis, nounhernia, nounherpes, nounHIV, nounhormone replacement therapy, nounhospital, nounhospitalize, verbhot flush, nounhousebound, adjectiveHRT, nounhump, nounhumpback, nounhunchback, nounhungover, adjectivehydrophobia, nounhypertension, nounhypothermia, nounhysterectomy, nounhysteria, nounhysterical, adjectiveillness, nounimmune, adjectiveimmune system, nounimmunity, nounimmunize, verbimmunology, nounimpacted, adjectiveimpediment, nounimpetigo, nounimpotent, adjectiveincision, nounincontinent, adjectiveincubate, verbincurable, adjectiveindigestion, nounindisposed, adjectiveindisposition, nouninfantile, adjectiveinfantile paralysis, nouninfect, verbinfected, adjectiveinfection, nouninfectious, adjectiveinfirmity, nouninflammation, nouninflammatory, adjectiveinfluenza, nouninfusion, nouningrowing, adjectiveinoculate, verbinoperable, adjectiveinsane, adjectiveinsanity, nouninsomnia, nouninsomniac, nouninstability, nounintensive care, nounintravenous, adjectiveinvalid, nouninvalidity, nouninvasive, adjectiveirregular, adjectiveirritable bowel syndrome, nounirritant, nounirritate, verbirritated, adjectiveirritation, noun-ism, suffixisolation, nounjaundice, nounjaundiced, adjectivejet lag, nounknock-kneed, adjectiveknotted, adjectivelaceration, nounlaryngitis, nounlegionnaire's disease, nounleper, nounleprosy, nounlesion, nounleukemia, nounlisp, nounlisteria, nounliverish, adjectivelockjaw, nounlong-sighted, adjectiveloose, adjectivelozenge, nounlumbago, nounlunacy, nounLyme disease, nounmad cow disease, nounmalady, nounmalaise, nounmalaria, nounmalformation, nounmalignancy, nounmalignant, adjectivemalnourished, adjectivemalnutrition, nounmange, nounmangy, adjectivemania, nounmanic, adjectivemanic depression, nounmastitis, nounME, nounmeasles, nounmedicinal, adjectivemegalomania, nounmegalomaniac, nounmelancholia, nounmelancholic, adjectivemelanoma, nounmend, verbmeningitis, nounmentally handicapped, adjectivemigraine, nounmild, adjectivemiscarriage, nounmole, nounmongol, nounmono, nounmononucleosis, nounmorbid, adjectivemorning sickness, nounmoron, nounmotion sickness, nounmotor neurone disease, nounMRI, nounMRSA, nounMS, nounmultiple sclerosis, nounmumps, nounmurmur, nounmusclebound, adjectivemuscular dystrophy, nounmute, adjectivemute, nounmyopia, nounmyopic, adjectivemyxomatosis, nounnarcolepsy, nounnausea, nounnauseate, verbnauseous, adjectivenearsighted, adjectivenervous breakdown, nounnettle rash, nounneuralgia, nounneurosis, nounneurotic, adjectivenosebleed, nounnotifiable, adjectiveNSU, nounobesity, nounoff-colour, adjectiveoperate, verboperation, nounophthalmic, adjectiveophthalmology, noun-osis, suffixosteoarthritis, nounosteopathy, nounosteoporosis, nounoutpatient, nounoverbite, nounpacemaker, nounpaediatrics, nounpale, adjectivepallid, adjectivepallor, nounpalpitate, verbpalpitations, nounpalsy, nounpandemic, nounparalyse, verbparalysed, adjectiveparalysis, nounparalytic, adjectiveparalytic, nounparanoia, nounparaplegia, nounparaplegic, nounparasitic, adjectiveParkinson's disease, nounparoxysm, nounpasty, adjectivepasty-faced, adjectivepathogen, nounpathological, adjectivepathology, nounpeaked, adjectivepeaky, adjectivepellagra, nounpeptic ulcer, nounperforated, adjectiveperiod pain, nounperitonitis, nounpernicious anaemia, nounpersecution complex, nounpestilence, nounpestilential, adjectivepetit mal, nounpharyngitis, nounphlebitis, nounphlegm, noun-phobic, suffixphysiotherapy, nounpigeon-toed, adjectivepins and needles, nounplacebo, nounplague, nounplaque, nounplaster cast, nounpleurisy, nounPMS, nounPMT, nounpneumonia, nounpockmark, nounpockmarked, adjectivepoisoning, nounpolio, nounpolyp, nounpoor, adjectivepost-traumatic stress disorder, nounpremenstrual tension, nounprescribe, verbprescription, nounpreventive medicine, nounprickle, verbprickly heat, nounprognosis, nounprolapse, nounprophylactic, adjectiveprophylactic, nounprophylaxis, nounpsoriasis, nounpsychopath, nounpsychosis, nounpsychosomatic, adjectivepsychotic, adjectivepuffy, adjectivepull, verbpurulent, adjectivepus, nounpustule, nounqueasy, adjectiverabid, adjectiverabies, nounradiation sickness, nounradiography, nounrash, nounraw, adjectivereact, verbreaction, nounreceive, verbrecuperate, verbrecuperative, adjectiveregurgitate, verbrelapse, verbremission, nounrepetitive strain injury, nounresistance, nounrespond, verbretch, verbRhesus factor, nounrheumatic, adjectiverheumatic fever, nounrheumatism, nounrheumatoid arthritis, nounrickets, nounringworm, nounRSI, nounrubella, nounrun-down, adjectiverunny, adjectiverupture, nounsaddle-sore, adjectivesalmonella, nounscab, nounscabby, adjectivescabies, nounscald, verbscald, nounscaly, adjectivescar, nounscar, verbscarlet fever, nounschizophrenia, nounsciatica, nounsclerosis, nounscrape, verbscrape, nounscratch, nounscurvy, nounseasick, adjectiveseizure, nounself-examination, nounsenile, adjectivesenile dementia, nounsenseless, adjectivesepsis, nounseptic, adjectivesepticaemia, nounserum, nounset, verbsexually transmitted disease, nounshell shock, nounshell-shocked, adjectiveshingles, nounshock, nounshort-sighted, adjectivesickle-cell anaemia, nounsickly, adjectivesickness, nounside effect, nounsightless, adjectivesimple fracture, nounsleeping sickness, nounslipped disc, nounsmallpox, nounsnakebite, nounsnow blindness, nounsore, adjectivesore, nounspastic, adjectivespecial needs, nounspecimen, nounspina bifida, nounsprain, verbsputum, nounsquint, verbsquint, nounstammer, nounstarvation, nounstarve, verbSTD, nounstomachache, nounstone, nounstrain, nounstrain, verbstrangulated, adjectivestrep throat, nounstroke, nounsty, nounsuccumb, verbsufferer, nounsunstroke, nounsuperbug, nounsurgical, adjectiveswelling, nounswollen, adjectivesymptom, nounsymptomatic, adjectivesyndrome, nounsyphilis, nounTB, nountear, verbtetanus, nountherapeutic, adjectivetherapy, nounthrombosis, nounthrush, nountic, nountight, adjectivetingle, verbtinnitus, nountipsy, adjectivetonsillitis, nountoothache, nountorment, nountourniquet, nountoxaemia, nountoxic shock syndrome, nountraction, nountransfusion, nountrauma, nountravel sickness, nountreatment, nountremor, nountuberculosis, nountumour, nountunnel vision, nountwinge, nountwitch, nountyphoid, nountyphus, nounulcer, nounulcerate, verbultrasound, noununderweight, adjectiveundressed, adjectiveunhealthy, adjectiveuntreated, adjectivevaccinate, verbvaccine, nounvaricose veins, nounVD, nounvenereal disease, nounverruca, nounvertigo, nounviral, adjectivevirology, nounvirulent, adjectivevomit, verbvomit, nounwart, nounweak, adjectiveweal, nounweep, verbwheeze, verbwheeze, nounwheezy, adjectivewhiplash, nounwhooping cough, nounwind, nounwithered, adjectivewound, nounwrench, verbwriter's cramp, nounyaws, nounyeast infection, nounyellow fever, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Why did you do that? Have you gone insane?COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
Why did you do that? Have you gone insane? spoken (also drive somebody nuts spoken informal) (=make someone feel very annoyed)· The continuous noise was driving me crazy.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· I wondered if they were there to prevent jumpers, like in an insane asylum.· I am interactive with an insane asylum.· Steps were taken to improve prisons and insane asylums and to check juvenile delinquency.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► the insane
1informal completely stupid or crazy, often in a way that is dangerous: - The noise from the construction project is driving us completely insane.
That’s an insane risk. The whole idea sounds absolutely insane to me. Why did you do that? Have you gone insane?2someone who is insane is permanently and seriously mentally ill so that they cannot live in normal society: The killer was declared criminally insane.3 the insane people who are mentally ill: a hospital for the insane4drive somebody insane informal to make someone feel more and more annoyed or angry, usually over a long period of time SYN drive somebody mad: My little brother’s been driving me insane all weekend.—insanely adverb: insanely jealous She giggled insanely.