lunatic fringe

noun

1. members on the periphery of any group, especially political, social, or religious, who hold extreme or fanatical views.

lunatic fringe

noun

1. the members of a society or group who adopt or support views regarded as extreme or fanatical

lunatic fringe

1. Derogatory name for the extreme radical members of a group, especially in politics: “The candidate referred to the organization as being on the lunatic fringe of conservatism.” The term was coined by Theodore Roosevelt .

Word History and Origins

Origin of lunatic fringe¹

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

Example Sentences

Donald Trump uses words like “enemy” and “evil” to describe Democrats, and we’re not much better, with phrases like “lunatic fringe” spilling from my lips and keyboard regularly.

From Salon

Because of that, “no matter how much McCarthy bent over backwards to accommodate a lunatic fringe, there’s going to be someone who didn’t like him,” Ornstein said.

From Los Angeles Times

All that can be dismissed as the ravings of the lunatic fringe, but it is being taken seriously in Jordan and Egypt.

From BBC

QAnon changed all that, galvanizing the lunatic fringe and propelling its views into the mainstream of the Republican Party.

From Salon

"They're the lunatic fringe. That segment of the population was both entitled and fearful of growing up, of having a real job and, you know, have a family and stuff like that," Scher said.

From Salon