insane
89 synonyms and 2 antonyms for insane, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adj — Suffering from serious mental illness; not of sound mind.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
unstable
bananas
barking
buggy
bats
cracked
crackers
daft
disturbed
eccentric
gaga
lunatic
nut
psycho
psychotic
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
unhinged
of unsound mind
5150
barking mad
buggish
bughouse
barmy
batchy
batpoop
batty
bonkers
bread baskets
cra-cra
cray
cray-cray
crazed
crazy as a bedbug
crazy as a cootie
crazy as a cootie bug
crazy as a pet coon
cuckoo
daffy
demented
deranged
distraught
doolally
dotty
fruit loops
hatstand
harebrained
kooky
loon
loco
loony
loony tunes
loopy
mentally ill
meshigener
meshugge
moonsick
nerts
non compos mentis
nonsane
nucking futs
nut job
nutballs
nutso
nutty
nutter
off the beam
off the chain
over the edge
potty
psychoceramic
sicko
screwy
squirrelly
starkers
tonto
unbalanced
unsane
wackadoodle
whackjob
whacko
whacky
wode
yampy
zany
batcrap
Antonyms
How to use insane
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
legally insane
go insane
insane amount of
The mental-illness sense is now considered outdated and stigmatizing in clinical contexts; the casual senses (reckless, amazing) are common in everyday speech.
Etymology
From Latin insanus, "unsound in mind" — in- ("not") plus sanus ("sound, healthy").
Full origin of insane →Frequently asked questions
What does “insane” mean?
The word “insane” means suffering from serious mental illness; not of sound mind. In plain terms, mentally unwell, or (casually) crazy/reckless, or (slang) amazingly good or intense.
How do you pronounce “insane”?
“Insane” is pronounced ihn-SAYN (/ɪnˈseɪn/ in IPA).
How do you use “insane” in a sentence?
Here is “insane” used in a sentence: “He was declared legally insane and unfit to stand trial.”
What is another word for “insane”?
Words with a similar meaning to “insane” include 5150, bananas, barking, barking mad, buggish and buggy.
What is the opposite of “insane”?
The opposite of “insane” — its antonyms — are sane and sober.
What part of speech is “insane”?
“Insane” is an adjective.
Where does the word “insane” come from?
The word “insane” comes from Latin. From Latin insanus, "unsound in mind" — in- ("not") plus sanus ("sound, healthy").
Is “insane” a common word?
“Insane” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
Is 'insane' still a medical term?
No. Modern medicine avoids 'insane' because it is vague and stigmatising, preferring specific diagnoses such as psychosis or a named mental illness. The word survives mainly in law, as in the insanity defence, and in casual speech where it loosely means wild, extreme, or hard to believe.
What is the difference between insane and crazy?
Both once described serious mental illness, and both are now seen as outdated and insensitive in that sense. In everyday use they overlap as informal words for something wild or absurd. 'Insane' tends to sound stronger and more extreme, while 'crazy' is milder and far more common in casual talk.
Is 'insane' an offensive word?
It can be. Applied to a real person's mental health, 'insane' is outdated and hurtful, so careful writers use precise clinical terms instead. Used loosely to mean 'unbelievable' — an insane goal, an insane price — it is harmless slang, but the two senses are worth keeping apart.
