fruitcake

noun

fruit·​cake ˈfrüt-ˌkāk 

plural fruitcakes

1

: a rich cake containing nuts, dried or candied fruits, spices, and usually alcohol (such as rum or brandy)

2

: a foolish or eccentric person

The roommate once thought of as a fruitcake is the candidate likeliest to be our next Secretary of State.

—Erich Segal

also, sometimes offensive : someone who is not mentally sound

"… The guy on the tape's a fruitcake. And he has a rifle. You are not safe here."

—Pat Conroy

Synonyms of fruitcake

• eccentric
• character
• nut
• crackpot
• wacko
• nutter
• nutcase
• weirdo
• flake
• loony
• kook
• original
• screwball
• crank
• piece of work
• codger
• oddball
• loon

Examples of fruitcake in a Sentence

children in the neighborhood once regarded the reclusive scientist as a fruitcake

he agreed to an evaluation so they could see he wasn't a fruitcake

Recent Examples on the Web

Lady Whistledown is coming to The Sims, and she’s getting welcomed with all of the fruitcake. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 7 May 2026

Their eight-tier, 3-foot-tall fruitcake was so large that a door had to be removed to fit it into the palace's Picture Gallery. — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026

The fruitcake didn’t need to be baked—it could be dropped off by an Uber Eats courier. — Rafaela Jinich, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026

Unlike grandma’s fruitcake, the Spurs’ Christmas Day victory still tastes sweet two weeks into January. — Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 12 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1687, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fruitcake

• awake
• backache
• beefsteak
• betake
• cheesecake
• cupcake
• daybreak
• earthquake
• forsake
• gouache
• handshake
• headache

Kids Definition

fruitcake

noun

fruit·​cake ˈfrüt-ˌkāk 

: a rich cake containing nuts, dried or candied fruits, and spices