English Dictionary

CRAZY (crazier, craziest)

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

IPA (US): 

Irregular inflected forms: crazier  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation, craziest  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation

 Dictionary entry overview: What does crazy mean? 

CRAZY (noun)
  The noun CRAZY has 1 sense:

1. someone deranged and possibly dangerousplay

  Familiarity information: CRAZY used as a noun is very rare.


CRAZY (adjective)
  The adjective CRAZY has 5 senses:

1. affected with madness or insanityplay

2. foolish; totally unsoundplay

3. possessed by inordinate excitementplay

4. bizarre or fantasticplay

5. intensely enthusiastic about or preoccupied withplay

  Familiarity information: CRAZY used as an adjective is common.


 Dictionary entry details 


CRAZY (noun)


Sense 1

Meaning:

Someone deranged and possibly dangerous

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

crazy; looney; loony; nutcase; weirdo

Hypernyms ("crazy" is a kind of...):

lunatic; madman; maniac (an insane person)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)


CRAZY (adjective)

 Declension: comparative and superlative 
Comparative: crazier  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation
Superlative: craziest  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation


Sense 1

Meaning:

Affected with madness or insanity

Synonyms:

brainsick; crazy; demented; disturbed; mad; sick; unbalanced; unhinged

Context example:

a man who had gone mad

Similar:

insane (afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement)

Derivation:

craze (state of violent mental agitation)

craziness (informal terms for insanity)


Sense 2

Meaning:

Foolish; totally unsound

Synonyms:

crazy; half-baked; screwball; softheaded

Context example:

a screwball proposal without a prayer of working

Similar:

impractical (not practical; not workable or not given to practical matters)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Derivation:

craziness (foolish or senseless behavior)


Sense 3

Meaning:

Possessed by inordinate excitement

Context example:

was crazy to try his new bicycle

Similar:

excited (in an aroused state)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Derivation:

craziness (foolish or senseless behavior)


Sense 4

Meaning:

Bizarre or fantastic

Context example:

wore a crazy hat

Similar:

strange; unusual (being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird)


Sense 5

Meaning:

Intensely enthusiastic about or preoccupied with

Synonyms:

crazy; dotty; gaga; wild

Context example:

gaga over the rock group's new album

Similar:

enthusiastic (having or showing great excitement and interest)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Derivation:

craze (an interest followed with exaggerated zeal)

craziness (the quality of being rash and foolish)


 Context examples 


They limp, they stagger like drunken people, they cry under their breaths; and all the time they say, 'On! on! We will go on!' They are like crazy people.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

“You’re crazy!” he cried, fiercely.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

You're feeding me because it is the style of feeding just now, because the whole mob is crazy with the idea of feeding Martin Eden.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

It was an old, tumbledown building in a crazy state of disrepair.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The Ghost’s stumpy masts were in place, her crazy sails bent.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Don't tempt me, Teddy, it's a crazy plan.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

"That's a good sign. He's no fool. Don't dast tackle me so long as I got that club handy. He's not clean crazy, sure."

(White Fang, by Jack London)

A crazy old staircase I found it to be, feebly lighted on each landing by a club-headed little oil wick, dying away in a little dungeon of dirty glass.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The excitement of the passengers grew greater; the crazy coach rocked on its great leather springs, and swayed like a boat tossed on a stormy sea.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Symptoms experienced during a panic attack include dyspnea or sensations of being smothered; dizziness, loss of balance or faintness; choking sensations; palpitations or accelerated heart rate; shakiness; sweating; nausea or other form of abdominal distress; depersonalization or derealization; paresthesias; hot flashes or chills; chest discomfort or pain; fear of dying and fear of not being in control of oneself or going crazy.

(Panic Disorder, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"Don't count your chickens before they're hatched." (English proverb)

"The stripes of a tiger are on the outside; the stripes of a person are on the inside." (Bhutanese proverb)

"He who sees the calamity of other people finds his own calamity light." (Arabic proverb)

"What can a cat do if its master is crazy." (Corsican proverb)



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