unhinged
Americanadjective
-
having no hinge or hinges, or with the hinges removed.
an unhinged gate.
-
unsettled, disordered, or distraught.
He became unhinged when his friend died.
Etymology
Origin of unhinged
First recorded in 1710–20; unhinged ( def. 1 ) un- 1 + hinged ( def. ); unhinged ( def. 2 ) unhinge + -ed 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ortiz’s show premiering at the Joy Who Lived Festival revels in the unhinged and urges people to judge each other for past messes with the opportunity to redeem oneself through comedy.
From Los Angeles Times
The unmoored, unhinged and overlong “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen” makes a couple of arguments for itself.
With his inane bleating on television about taking over the world, Graham sounded unhinged.
From Salon
Capitol Police were attempting to remove an unhinged protestor from the Armed Services hearing.
From Salon
As Raftery writes, television and films had, at the time, generated the notion that serial killers were “unhinged lunatics,” but the agents discovered a different side.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
