stir-crazy

adjective

stir-cra·​zy ˈstər-ˈkrā-zē 

slang

: distraught because of prolonged confinement

Did you know?

Stir-crazy originated as a word to describe a prisoner who became distraught after prolonged confinement. Stir is a 19th-century slang word for "prison" that some word historians have suspected to be from Romani stariben, of the same meaning. But a convincing argument of that origin has yet been made. Today, stir-crazy describes any person who has become restless, agitated, or anxious from being or feeling entrapped in some place.

Examples of stir-crazy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet, despite the need to burrow, New Yorkers tend to get a little stir-crazy when holed up in our apartments for longer than a day. —Ariel Okin, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2025

At first, Drew set out to remix Todd Phillips’s Joker as a stir-crazy lockdown goof and a spoof. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2024

They were stir-crazy and impatient for the dance floor. —Lucy McKeon, New York Times, 3 June 2024

That was one wet winter and most of us — including our dogs — were starting to go pretty stir-crazy with all the rain. —Lisa Bloch, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024

In 2021 and 2022, American consumers, stir-crazy from covid-19 lockdowns and armed with government relief checks, went on a spending spree, ordering furniture, sports equipment and other goods. —Paul Wiseman and Mae Anderson The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 30 Jan. 2024

In 2021 and 2022, American consumers, stir-crazy from COVID-19 lockdowns and armed with government relief checks, went on a spending spree. —Paul Wiseman and Mae Anderson, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2024

If staying at home during your time off is bound to drive you stir-crazy, camping is a sure cure for cabin fever. —Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 28 Aug. 2023

So, after two years of living and working in the Train Station, Paulina was getting stir-crazy. —The Foretold Team, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

stir entry 3

First Known Use

circa 1908, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stir-crazy

• calabrese
• crazy
• daisy
• hazy
• lazy

Podcast

• Share
  • Share
• Subscribe
  Subscribe

  • Amazon Music
  • Apple Podcasts
  • CastBox
  • Google Podcasts
  • iHeartRadio
  • Pocket Casts
  • RadioPublic
  • Spotify
  • Stitcher
  • TuneIn
  • RSS
• Download
• Description

×

Advertising 0 / 0

|

00:00 / 00:00

| Skip

Listen on

• 
• 
• 
• 

Privacy Policy

<iframe> Player Code

Embed this player on your website using the snippet below

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!