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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in absurdity
a foolish act or idea
everyone laughed at the latest insanity from the town eccentric
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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
Working from a script by Scott Silver, Phillips hedges his bet by recycling: Joaquin Phoenix refines his Oscar-winning turn as psychotic urban vigilante/revenge killer Arthur Fleck, this time revealing his insanity through pop songs.
—
Armond White, National Review, 29 Nov. 2024
Prosecutors had charged Lindsay with three counts each of murder and strangulation, but her lawyer, setting up an insanity defense, told the story of an exemplary mother who was failed by the medical system and suffered a psychotic break.
—Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
Cutting Medicare is insanity, especially with our high elderly population.
—Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2024
Everyone else gets to turn off the TV and forget about politics, which has reached this next-level, dark insanity.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for insanity 
Armond White, National Review, 29 Nov. 2024
Prosecutors had charged Lindsay with three counts each of murder and strangulation, but her lawyer, setting up an insanity defense, told the story of an exemplary mother who was failed by the medical system and suffered a psychotic break.
—Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
Cutting Medicare is insanity, especially with our high elderly population.
—Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2024
Everyone else gets to turn off the TV and forget about politics, which has reached this next-level, dark insanity.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for insanity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insanity
Noun
-
Fannie’s Friends support group: Fannie’s Friends is a virtual support group for adult daughters and granddaughters caring for those living with dementia.Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel, 11 Dec. 2024
-
Research has also shown that the drugs may reduce the risk of cognitive decline, like dementia.Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Many have judged both him and us based on accusations, conspiracy theories, and false narratives that have spiraled into absurdity on social media.Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2024
-
Brought to life through campy, surrealist sets and unforgettable cameos, the show takes the viewer through a series of dreamlike vignettes that brilliantly articulate the absurdity and tedium of life under late-capitalism.Samantha Allen, Them, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
But what of the apologists for madness and criminality, the comfortable sophists who invert morality to score partisan points?Matthew Continetti, National Review, 14 Dec. 2024
-
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths Plenty of 2024 movies were of the mind that the only way to respond to a world gone mad is with more madness.Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The sightings have provoked hysteria among residents and fears of in-air collisions with commercial planes and helicopters.Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 13 Dec. 2024
-
Under the direction of David Tedeschi, the film brings back the tears of hysteria that accompanied the band’s every move in the U.S., and generates some fresh tears from some of its contemporary interview subjects, who tell how the band’s advent changed their lives.Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Navalny’s memoir deftly exposes the infinite vices in the current Russian government that rewards venality, cowardice and stupidity but punishes integrity, brains and the courage to speak truth to power.Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 15 Nov. 2024
-
That may not be a huge sum of money in a county with an annual operating budget of nearly $5 billion, but it’s got to rank high in sheer stupidity or at least neglect.Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 13 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Embracing Simplicity In Modern Solutions Modern hardware capabilities allow for a paradigm shift toward simplicity.Avery Pennarun, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
-
The track’s production, helmed by DJ Pooh, achieves emotional depth through masterful simplicity.Walaa Elsiddig, Billboard, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Each lawyer, then, in his or her own way, played a part in creating a caricature: Danny, the kid in a tough situation trying his best to do the right thing; Mr. Neely, that malodorous man with schizophrenia stoking passengers’ fears on the subway.Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
-
No one gene, however, determines one’s risk of developing schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near insanity
Cite this Entry
“Insanity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insanity. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share