insanity

[ in-san-i-tee ]

noun

, plural in·san·i·ties.

1. (not in technical use as a medical diagnosis) the condition of being insane; a derangement of the mind.

   Synonyms: craziness, madness, lunacy, aberration, mania

2. Law. such unsoundness of mind as frees one from legal responsibility, as for committing a crime, or as signals one's lack of legal capacity, as for entering into a contractual agreement.
3. Psychiatry. (formerly) psychosis.
4. 1. extreme foolishness:

      Trying to drive through that traffic would be pure insanity.

   2. a foolish or senseless action, policy, statement, etc.:

      We've heard decades of insanities in our political discourse.

insanity

/ ɪnˈsænɪtɪ /

noun

1. relatively permanent disorder of the mind; state or condition of being insane
2. law a defect of reason as a result of mental illness, such that a defendant does not know what he or she is doing or that it is wrong
3. utter folly; stupidity

Word History and Origins

Origin of insanity¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin insānitāt-, stem of insānitās “unsoundness of mind, insanity”; in- ³, sanity

Example Sentences

So, we are left facing another round of Trump insanity at the White House, brought to us by the same people who voted him in the first time but failed to get him elected in 2020.

From Salon

“We will get ... transgender insanity the hell out of our schools, and we will keep men out of women’s sports,” Trump said at his inflammatory rally at Madison Square Garden last week.

From Salon

A spokesperson for Pelosi told The Independent that Trump's remarks were "just the usual projection of his own insanity."

From Salon

The teenager, who admitted assaulting the two boys and the housemaster, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder by reason of insanity due to his sleepwalking.

From BBC

“As a child, there’s right and wrong, there’s good and bad. So at what point do we as adults compromise? At what point do we turn the blind eye? At what point did we pretend not to hear? War is bad enough, but through a child’s eyes you see the insanity of it in a greater way.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• absurdity
• alienation
• craziness
• folly
• frenzy
• hysteria
• irresponsibility
• lunacy
• madness
• mental disorder