insane
English
editEtymology
editFrom Latin īnsānus (“unsound in mind; mad, insane”), from in- + sānus (“sound, sane”), equivalent to in- + sane.
Pronunciation
editAdjective
editinsane (comparative more insane or insaner, superlative most insane or insanest)
- Exhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind; not sane; utterly mad.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:insane
- 1936, Dale Carnegie, “Part 1, Chapter 2. THE BIG SECRET OF DEALING WITH PEOPLE”, in How to Win Friends and Influence People, page 41:
- What is the cause of insanity? Nobody can answer such a sweeping question as that, but we know that certain diseases, such as syphilis, break down and destroy the brain cells and result in insanity. In fact, about one-half of all mental diseases can be attributed to such physical causes as brain lesions, alcohol, toxins, and injuries. But the other half—and this is the appalling part of the story—the other half of the people who go insane apparently have nothing organically wrong with their brain cells. In post-mortem examinations, when their brain tissues are studied under the highest-powered microscopes, they are found to be apparently just as healthy as yours and mine. Why do these people go insane?
- Used by or relating to insane people.
- an insane hospital
- an insane asylum
- Causing insanity or madness.
- (informal) Characterized by excess or the utmost folly; ridiculous; impractical.
- an insane plan
- an insane amount of money
- 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XVI, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
- The preposterous altruism too! […] Resist not evil. It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as fakirs stabbing themselves or anchorites warping their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog.
- (slang) Extremely good; incredibly amazing.
- That guy is insane at FPS games.
- 2018 August 8, Bill Graveland, “'I'll get better': Paralyzed Humboldt Broncos player working to improve at sledge hockey”, in CBC[1]:
- Cederstrand was all over the ice, whipping his sled around and firing pucks into the net. It's what Straschnitzki is aiming for. "He's insane. The turns, the shots. It's something I want to do some day."
- 2020 August 24, Nicol Natale, “Watch Reese Witherspoon Nail a Seriously Impressive Backflip in This Throwback Video”, in Prevention[2]:
- And fans echoed their responses. "You nailed it, girl! This movie is so special. Your work is insane! 💗," one person wrote. "Is there ANYTHING you can't do?! I'm impressed," said another.
- 2020 September 19, Saahil Agnelo Periwal, “Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 4: SypherPK claims a Victory Royale by using the 'rarest' item in the game- The Galactus Gun”, in Sportskeeda[3]:
- On getting two quick eliminations, SypherPK cries out ecstatically: This gun is insane, it's the best gun ever! Woohoo!
Synonyms
edit- See Thesaurus:insane
Antonyms
editDerived terms
editRelated terms
editCollocations
editCollocations
- completely insane
- totally insane
- almost insane
- quite insane
- criminally insane
- legally insane
- temporarily insane
- hopelessly insane
- incurably insane
Translations
editexhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind
|
used by, or appropriated to, insane persons
|
causing insanity or madness
|
characterized by insanity or the utmost folly
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Further reading
edit- “insane”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “insane”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “insane”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Anagrams
editFrench
editEtymology 1
editBorrowed from English insane, from Latin īnsānus (“unsound in mind; mad, insane”).
Pronunciation
editAdjective
editinsane (plural insanes)
Further reading
edit- “insane”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Etymology 2
editPronunciation
editAdjective
editinsane (plural insanes)
Italian
editAdjective
editinsane f pl
Latin
editAdjective
editīnsāne
References
edit- “insane”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “insane”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- insane in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Categories:
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms prefixed with in-
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/eɪn
- Rhymes:English/eɪn/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with usage examples
- English informal terms
- English slang
- French terms borrowed from English
- French terms derived from English
- French 2-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French lemmas
- French adjectives
- French informal terms
- Italian non-lemma forms
- Italian adjective forms
- Latin non-lemma forms
- Latin adjective forms