insanity

noun

in-ˈsa-nə-tē How to pronounce insanity (audio)
Definition of insanitynext
1
as in dementia
a serious mental disorder that prevents one from living a safe and normal life his incurable insanity requires that he spend the rest of his life in a mental hospital

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in absurdity
a foolish act or idea everyone laughed at the latest insanity from the town eccentric

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3
as in madness
lack of good sense or judgment had the insanity to think that taking over a government building in protest of our foreign policy was a good idea

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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 insanity But this is preposterous, this is insanity, this is the very essence of bedlam. — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026 The need for any person to openly brandish a sidearm or a person to carry an assault rifle on his shoulder is absolute insanity. — Dan Sweeney, Sun Sentinel, 22 Sep. 2026 Descano’s side went along with his insanity defense after approving a mental health evaluation by psychologist Eric Drogin, court records show. — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 21 Sep. 2026 Had he been found not guilty by reason of insanity, he could have been ordered to undergo mental health treatment. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for insanity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insanity
  1. dementia
  2. absurdity
  3. madness
  4. hysteria
  5. stupidity
  6. simplicity
  7. schizophrenia
  8. idiocy
Noun
  • Brain disease in dogs and people Our work on aging dogs all began with a desire to develop better treatments for dementia.
    — Julie Moreno, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
  • However, among individuals who already had dementia, glucosamine users had a higher mortality compared to similar non-users.
    — Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of dementia
Noun
  • Sadly, Showalter and the scriptwriter, Nick Antosca, are completely unable to meet these demands, with the result that the absurdities are all on the screen.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026
  • None of this ever accumulates much weight, however, since the conflicts are all dulled by the one-note absurdity of the farcical plotting.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of absurdity
Noun
  • Zosia Mamet, Jason Schwartzman, Chris O’Dowd, Billie Lourd, and Will Price flit in and out of the picture, some trying to act as the voices of reason and others cheering on the madness.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Does this guy go to a movie or play, or even read a book, to escape the madness?
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of madness
Noun
  • Russell turned the story into an extravagant examination of religious hysteria and political power, with stark white sets by Derek Jarman and an avant-garde score by Peter Maxwell Davies.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Any team that works out Kaepernick invites an immediate circus of scrutiny and racial hysteria.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of hysteria
Noun
  • Learning that countless more people will lose their lives on account of his neglect, greed, and stupidity, he is pressed, reluctantly, into a most self-serving mode of damage control.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Nerdiest song for drummers This will probably come down to stupidity.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of stupidity
Noun
  • But the beautiful simplicity of East of Eden has always been its idea that nothing is finished.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • These poems are made with some of the simplicity and directness of a song.
    — Colm Tóibín, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of simplicity
Noun
  • In addition to fentanyl, toxicology tests detected alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax; the muscle relaxant methocarbamol; and quetiapine, a medication primarily used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and, in some cases, depression.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Clozapine, antipsychotic drug primarily used in the treatment of severe schizophrenia, especially in instances when other treatments fail to improve symptoms.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of schizophrenia
Noun
  • Beavis and Butt-Head function as a note-perfect satire of teenage confidence and idiocy, but the sharpness of the writing has always belied the bottom-of-the-barrel intellect of its title characters.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026
  • It’s been a classic staple over decades of British comedy, which from Basil Fawlty to David Brent has rejoiced in puncturing pomposity to reveal idiocy and incompetence.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of idiocy

Browse Nearby Words

insanities
insanity
insatiable
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Cite this Entry

“Insanity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insanity. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on insanity

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about insanity

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