- not sane; mentally ill or deranged; demented; mad: now a nontechnical term except in legal usage
- of or for insane people: an insane asylum
- Informal very foolish, excessive, fantastic, etc.
Origin of insane
Classical Latin insanus
A man exhibits insane behavior.
- Insane is defined as very foolish or senseless behavior.
An example of insane is a person who goes on an expensive vacation after just losing a job.
- The definition of insane is someone who acts or speaks strangely because their brain isn’t working correctly.
An example of insane is a person who goes shopping without any pants on.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"insane." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 20 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Insane>.
APA Style
insane. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Insane
insane
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"insane." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 20 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Insane>.
APA Style
insane. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Insane
insane
adjective
- a. Of, exhibiting, or afflicted with mental derangement. Not used in psychiatric diagnosis.b. Characteristic of or associated with persons who are mentally deranged: an insane laugh; insane babbling.c. Intended for use by such persons: an insane asylum.
- Having been determined to be in a condition that meets the legal definition of insanity.
- Immoderate; wild: insane jealousy.
- Very foolish; absurd: took insane risks behind the wheel.
Origin of insane
Latin īnsānus in- not ; see in- 1. sānus sane, healthyRelated Forms:
- in·sane′ly
adverb
- in·sane′ness
noun
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"insane." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 20 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Insane>.
APA Style
insane. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Insane
Adjective
(comparative more insane, superlative most insane)
- Exhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind; not sane; mad; deranged in mind; delirious; distracted.
- Used by, or appropriated to, insane persons; as, an insane hospital.
- Causing insanity or madness.
- Characterized by insanity or the utmost folly; chimerical; unpractical; as, an insane plan, attempt, etc.
Antonyms
Origin
From Latin īnsānus (“unsound in mind; mad, insane”), from in- + sānus (“sound, sane”).
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"insane." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 20 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Insane>.
APA Style
insane. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Insane
Sentence Examples
- The king became insane in 1454.
- He is insane and he despises us.
- "Look, this is insane," she said, her shock wearing off.
- If I didn't keep learning how insane this world is every second of the day, I wouldn't have to drink!
- "Sofi, this is insane," Dusty said.
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