Crazy — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun adverb /ˈkrā-zē/ cra·zy

Meaning & Definition of Crazy

Crazy (adjective)

  1. not mentally sound, marked by thought or action that lacks reason, insane —not used technically
  2. impractical
  3. erratic

Crazy (noun)

  1. someone who is or acts mentally unsound; especially, such a person associated with a radical or extremist political cause

Crazy (adverb)

  1. extremely, wildly

Crazy (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment

    "a crazy plan to climb Mount Everest without proper equipment"

    similar: absurd, asinine, balmy, barmy (chiefly British), batty, brainless, bubbleheaded, cockeyed, crackbrained, crackpot, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, fatuous, featherheaded, fool, foolish, fruity (slang), gaga, half-baked, half-witted, harebrained, inept, insane, jerky, kooky, loony, loony tunes, lunatic (informal), lunkheaded, mad, meshuga, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, senseless, silly, simpleminded, stupid, tomfool, unwise, wacko, wacky, weak-minded, witless, zany, out to lunch
    related: airheaded, birdbrained, boobish, brain-dead, chowderheaded, chuckleheaded, clueless, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dorky (slang), dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, feebleminded, gormless (chiefly British), idiotic, imbecile, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, mindless, moronic, oafish, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, simple, slow, slow-witted, soft, softheaded, thoughtless, thick, thickheaded, unintelligent, vacuous, fallacious, illogical, invalid, irrational, nonrational, surd, unreasonable, unreasoning, unsound, weak, farcical, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, notional, buffoonish, clownish, ill-advised, unconsidered, unreasoned
    opposite: judicious, prudent, sagacious, sage, sane, sapient, sensible, sound, wise
    near: brainy, bright, clever, intelligent, smart, logical, rational, reasonable, valid, well-advised

  2. showing urgent desire or interest

    "crazy for the latest entertainment news"

    similar: agog, antsy, anxious, ardent, athirst, avid, bonkers (informal), desirous, eager, enthused, enthusiastic, excited, gaga, geeked (slang), great, greedy, gung ho, hepped up, hopped-up, hot, hungry, impatient, juiced, keen, nuts, pumped, raring, solicitous, stoked (slang), thirsty, voracious, wild, champing at the bit, chomping at the bit
    related: engaged, interested, happy, hung up, obsessed, ambitious, appetent, covetous, craving, hankering, longing, pining, breathless, restive, restless, amenable, disposed, game, glad, inclined, ready, unreluctant, willing
    opposite: apathetic, indifferent, uneager, unenthusiastic
    near: casual, incurious, insouciant, nonchalant, unconcerned, uninterested, aloof, detached, disinterested, impassive, stolid, halfhearted, lackadaisical, languid, languorous, lukewarm, spiritless, averse, disinclined, hesitant, loath, reluctant, unwilling

  3. different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion

    "a downtown musician with crazy notions of what's stylish and what's not"

    similar: bizarre, bizarro, cranky, curious, eccentric, erratic, far-out, funky, funny, kinky, kooky, odd, off-kilter, off-the-wall, offbeat, out-of-the-way, outlandish, outré, peculiar, quaint, queer, queerish, quirky, remarkable, rum (chiefly British), screwy, spaced-out, strange, wacky, way-out, weird, weirdo, wild
    related: aberrant, abnormal, addlepated, flaky, extraordinary, fantastic, freak, freakish, freaky, phantasmagoric, phenomenal, atypical, rare, singular, uncommon, uncustomary, unique, unusual, unwonted, conspicuous, notable, noticeable, outstanding, prominent, salient, striking, atrocious, outrageous, shocking, crotchety, idiosyncratic, nonconformist, nonmainstream, out-there, unconventional, unorthodox, baffling, bewildering, confounding, mystifying, perplexing, puzzling
    near: average, commonplace, everyday, garden, normal, ordinary, prosaic, routine, run-of-the-mill, standard, typical, unexceptional, unremarkable, usual, workaday, conformist, conservative, conventional, expected, familiar, knee-jerk, predictable, common, customary, frequent, habitual, regular, wonted

  4. conceived or made without regard for reason or reality

    "the mansion is a crazy construction of several different styles"

    similar: absurd, bizarre, fanciful, fantastic, foolish, insane, nonsensical, preposterous, unreal, wild, off the wall (slang)
    related: implausible, inconceivable, incredible, unbelievable, unimaginable, unthinkable, extravagant, grotesque, bizarro, curious, eccentric, far-out, funny, kinky, kooky, odd, outlandish, out-of-the-way, outré, peculiar, quaint, queer, queerish, quirky, screwy, strange, wacky, way-out, weird, farcical, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, Alice-in-Wonderland, Kafkaesque, nightmarish, dreamlike, surreal
    opposite: realistic, reasonable

  5. unable to think in a clear or sensible way

    "started yelling in the middle of the store like a crazy man"

    similar: bats, batty, bonkers (informal + sometimes offensive), brainsick, certifiable (dated, informal + disparaging), cracked (informal + disparaging), crackers (informal + disparaging), crazed (sometimes offensive), daft (chiefly British, informal), demented, deranged (often offensive), haywire, insane, loco (slang), mad, maniacal, mental (sometimes offensive), non compos mentis, nuts (informal + sometimes offensive), nutty (sometimes offensive), psycho (informal + disparaging), psychotic (sometimes offensive), unbalanced, unhinged, unsound, wud (chiefly Scottish), around the bend, off one's gourd, off one's head, off one's rocker, out of one's head, out to lunch (slang)
    related: dotty, fey, loopy, off, potty (chiefly British), teched, touched, aberrant, delirious, delusional, delusionary, disordered, disturbed, eccentric, odd, oddball, pixilated, queer, strange, foolish, senseless, witless, irrational, unreasonable, amok, ape, ballistic, bananas, berserk, nuclear, depressed, distracted, distraught, frantic, frenzied, hysterical, raving, wigged-out, fixated, monomaniac, monomaniacal, obsessed
    opposite: balanced, compos mentis, sane, sound, uncrazy
    near: clear, lucid, rational, reasonable, judicious, sensible, wise, healthy, normal, well-adjusted, unneurotic

  6. inclined or twisted to one side

    "surrounded by crazy stacks of books, she began writing her paper"

    similar: askew, aslant, atilt, awry, cock-a-hoop, cockeyed, crooked, listing, lopsided, oblique, off-kilter, pitched, skewed, slanted, slanting, slantwise, tilted, tipping, uneven, out of plumb
    related: asymmetrical, unbalanced, unsymmetrical, contorted, disordered, distorted, irregular
    opposite: even, level, straight
    near: ordered, orderly, regular, uniform, balanced, symmetrical

  7. marked by a long series of irregular curves

    "walked down a crazy path deep in the woods to a secluded swimming hole"

    similar: bending, crooked, curled, curling, curved, curving, curvy, devious, serpentine, sinuous, tortuous, twisted, twisting, winding, windy
    related: zigzag, zigzagging, circling, coiled, coiling, corkscrew, looping, spiral, spiraling, swirling, circuitous, indirect, roundabout, meandering, rambling, wandering, irregular, jagged, uneven
    opposite: straight, straightaway
    near: direct, linear

Crazy (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a person who favors rapid and sweeping changes especially in laws and methods of government

    "beleaguered government officials tried to dismiss the protesters as a bunch of crazies"

    similar: extremist, radical, revolutionary, revolutionist
    related: young Turk, leftist, lefty, red, progressive, reformer, reformist, anarch, anarchist, subversive, agitator, insurgent, insurrectionist, rebel, secessionist, separationist, separatist
    opposite: middle-of-the-roader, moderate
    near: conservative, fuddy-duddy, reactionary, rightist, standpatter, Tory, traditionalist

Related Entry: Crazy (about or over) (adjective)

Crazy (about or over) is a different word from Crazy. The synonyms below are for crazy (about or over), not for crazy.

  1. filled with an intense or excessive love for

    "he's just crazy about that new drummer"

    similar: besotted (by), dotty (over), enamored (of), enraptured (by), gaga (over), gone (on), infatuated (with), mad (about), nuts (about), stuck on, sweet on
    related: hung up (on), obsessed, foolish, silly, wild, bewitched, captivated, charmed, enchanted, entranced, fascinated
    near: cool, detached, unenchanted, unimpressed, disenchanted, disillusioned, heart-free

Related Entry: Crazy quilt (noun)

Crazy quilt is a different word from Crazy. The synonyms below are for crazy quilt, not for crazy.

  1. an unorganized collection or mixture of various things

    "an environmental issue that brought together a crazy quilt of people from all points on the political spectrum"

    similar: agglomerate, agglomeration, alphabet soup, assortment, botch, clutter, collage, farrago, gallimaufry, grab bag, gumbo, hash, hodgepodge, hotchpotch, jambalaya, jumble, jungle, litter, macédoine, medley, mélange, menagerie, miscellanea, miscellany, mishmash, mixed bag, montage, motley, muddle, olio, olla podrida, omnium-gatherum, pastiche, patchwork, patchwork quilt, potpourri, ragbag, ragout, rummage, salad, salmagundi, scramble, shuffle, smorgasbord, stew, tumble, variety, welter
    related: detritus, notions, oddments, odds and ends, sundries, accumulation, aggregate, aggregation, conglomerate, conglomeration, catchall, admixture, alloy, amalgam, blend, combination, commixture, composite, compound, fusion, intermixture, mix-up, bollix, chaos, confusion, disarrangement, disarray, disorder, dog's breakfast (chiefly British), mess, morass, shambles, imbroglio, knot, snarl, tangle

Related Entry: Crazy quilts (noun)

Crazy quilts is a different word from Crazy. The synonyms below are for crazy quilts, not for crazy.

  1. an unorganized collection or mixture of various things

    "an environmental issue that brought together a crazy quilt of people from all points on the political spectrum"

    similar: agglomerates, agglomerations, alphabet soups, assortments, botches, clutters, collages, farragoes, gallimaufries, grab bags, gumbos, hashes, hodgepodges, hotchpotches, jambalayas, jumbles, jungles, litters, macédoines, medleys, mélanges, menageries, miscellanea, miscellanies, mishmashes, mixed bags, montages, motleys, muddles, olios, olla podridas, omnium-gatherums, pastiches, patchwork quilts, patchworks, potpourris, ragbags, ragouts, rummages, salads, salmagundis, scrambles, shuffles, smorgasbords, stews, tumbles, varieties, welters
    related: detritus, notions, oddments, odds and ends, sundries, accumulations, aggregates, aggregations, conglomerates, conglomerations, catchalls, admixtures, alloys, amalgams, blends, combinations, commixtures, composites, compounds, fusions, intermixtures, mix-ups, bollixes, chaoses, confusions, disarrangements, disarrays, disorders, dog's breakfasts (chiefly British), messes, morasses, shambles, imbroglios, knots, snarls, tangles

Related Entry: Like crazy (phrase)

Like crazy is a different word from Crazy. The synonyms below are for like crazy, not for crazy.

  1. with all power or resources being used

    "She studied like crazy hoping for an A."

    similar: all out, full blast, full tilt, tooth and nail, full steam ahead, in full career, to the hilt
    related: completely, comprehensively, detailedly, exhaustively, fully, minutely, roundly, thoroughly, totally, extremely, utterly

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Crazy

The most common words with a similar meaning to Crazy:

Slang: fruity, geeked, stoked, off the wall, loco, out to lunch
Sometimes offensive: crazed, mental, nutty, psychotic
Informal + disparaging: cracked, crackers, psycho
Chiefly British: barmy, rum
Informal: lunatic, bonkers
Informal + sometimes offensive: bonkers, nuts
absurd, asinine, balmy, batty, brainless, bubbleheaded, cockeyed, crackbrained, crackpot, cuckoo, daffy, dippy, dotty, fatuous, featherheaded, fool, foolish, gaga, half-baked, half-witted, harebrained, inept, insane, jerky, kooky, loony, loony tunes, lunkheaded, mad, meshuga, nonsensical, preposterous, sappy, screwball, senseless, silly, simpleminded, stupid, tomfool, unwise

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Crazy

Words with the opposite meaning of Crazy:

judicious, prudent, sagacious, sage, sane, sapient, sensible, sound, wise, apathetic, indifferent, uneager, unenthusiastic, realistic, reasonable, balanced, compos mentis, uncrazy, even, level, straight, straightaway, middle-of-the-roader, moderate

Related Words for Crazy

airheaded, birdbrained, boobish, brain-dead, chowderheaded, chuckleheaded, clueless, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dorky, dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, feebleminded, gormless, idiotic, imbecile, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, mindless, moronic, oafish, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, simple

Near Antonyms of Crazy

brainy, bright, clever, intelligent, smart, logical, rational, valid, well-advised, casual, incurious, insouciant, nonchalant, unconcerned, uninterested, aloof, detached, disinterested, impassive, stolid, halfhearted, lackadaisical, languid, languorous, lukewarm, spiritless, averse, disinclined, hesitant, loath

Word Forms of Crazy

Inflections: crazier, craziest, crazies

Derived words: crazily (adverb), craziness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Crazy

First known use: 1582

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Crazy

Words & Phrases Containing Crazy

crazy bone, crazy glue, crazy-glue, crazy quilt, crazy-quilt, crazy worm

Frequently Asked Questions about Crazy

What does "Crazy" mean?

"Crazy" means not mentally sound, marked by thought or action that lacks reason, insane —not used technically. As an an adjective, a noun and an adverb, it is defined as: not mentally sound, marked by thought or action that lacks reason, insane —not used technically. It has 8 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Crazy"?

Other words for "Crazy" include absurd, asinine, balmy, barmy, batty, brainless, bubbleheaded and cockeyed. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Crazy" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Crazy"?

There are 382 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Crazy". Common alternatives include absurd, asinine, balmy, barmy, batty, brainless, bubbleheaded, cockeyed, crackbrained and crackpot.

What is an informal or casual word for "Crazy"?

Casual or informal alternatives for "Crazy" include lunatic, bonkers, bonkers, nuts, certifiable and cracked.

What is a slang word for "Crazy"?

Slang words for "Crazy" include fruity, geeked, stoked, off the wall, loco and out to lunch.

What is the opposite of "Crazy"?

Antonyms of "Crazy" include judicious, prudent, sagacious, sage, sane, sapient, sensible and sound. Near antonyms include brainy, bright, clever and intelligent.

How do you use "Crazy" in a sentence?

Examples of "Crazy" in a sentence: "a crazy plan to climb Mount Everest without proper equipment"; "crazy for the latest entertainment news"; "a downtown musician with crazy notions of what's stylish and what's not".

Is "Crazy" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Crazy" can be used as an adjective, a noun and an adverb, depending on the context.