Lunacy — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun /ˈlü-nə-sē/ lu·na·cy

Meaning & Definition of Lunacy

Lunacy (noun)

  1. insanity
  2. intermittent insanity once believed to be related to phases of the moon
  3. wild foolishness, extravagant folly

Lunacy (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a foolish act or idea

    "you want to sneak into the building after the alarm is set—what lunacy!"

    similar: absurdity, asininity, bêtise, fatuity, folly, foolery, foppery, idiocy, imbecility, inanity, insanity, stupidity
    related: absurdness, craziness, foolishness, inaneness, madness, senselessness, witlessness, buffoonery, monkeyshine(s), shenanigan(s), tomfoolery, drivel, humbug, nonsense, twaddle, blunder, bungle, flub, goof, howler
    near: discretion, forethought, prudence, sagacity, wisdom, brainstorm, inspiration

  2. a serious mental disorder that prevents one from living a safe and normal life

    "the judge ruled that the lunacy of the accused made him incompetent to stand trial"

    similar: aberration, dementia, derangement, insanity, madness, mania, rage (archaic)
    related: neurosis, psychosis, instability, irrationality, unreasonableness, delirium, frenzy, hysteria, hallucinosis, hypomania, paranoia, schizophrenia, senile dementia, delusion, hallucination, monomania, obsession, phobia, abnormality, dementedness, unsoundness
    opposite: mind, saneness, sanity
    near: lucidity, rationality, rationalness, reasonability, reasonableness, normality, soundness

  3. lack of good sense or judgment

    "was it desperation or lunacy that caused him to quit his job and move to California without any plan for what to do when he got there?"

    similar: absurdity, asininity, balminess, brainlessness, craziness, daftness, dippiness, dottiness, fatuity, fatuousness, folly, foolishness, imbecility, inanity, insanity, madness, nonsensicalness, nuttiness, preposterousness, senselessness, silliness, simplicity, unwisdom, wackiness, witlessness, zaniness
    related: denseness, dim-wittedness, doltishness, dopiness, dullness, dumbness, feeblemindedness, gormlessness (chiefly British), idiocy, mindlessness, oafishness, obtuseness, simplemindedness, simpleness, slowness, stupidity, stupidness, vacuity, fallacy, irrationality, unreasonableness, kookiness, weirdness, laughableness, ludicrousness, ridiculousness
    opposite: prudence, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness, sanity, sapience, sensibleness, soundness, wisdom
    near: logicality, logicalness, rationality, rationalness, reasonability, reasonableness, validity, discernment, insight, perception, percipience

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Lunacy

The most common words with a similar meaning to Lunacy:

Archaic: rage
absurdity, asininity, bêtise, fatuity, folly, foolery, foppery, idiocy, imbecility, inanity, insanity, stupidity, aberration, dementia, derangement, madness, mania, balminess, brainlessness, craziness, daftness, dippiness, dottiness, fatuousness, foolishness, nonsensicalness, nuttiness, preposterousness, senselessness, silliness, simplicity, unwisdom, wackiness, witlessness, zaniness

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Lunacy

Words with the opposite meaning of Lunacy:

mind, saneness, sanity, prudence, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness, sapience, sensibleness, soundness, wisdom

Related Words for Lunacy

absurdness, inaneness, buffoonery, monkeyshine(s), shenanigan(s), tomfoolery, drivel, humbug, nonsense, twaddle, blunder, bungle, flub, goof, howler, neurosis, psychosis, instability, irrationality, unreasonableness, delirium, frenzy, hysteria, hallucinosis, hypomania, paranoia, schizophrenia, senile dementia, delusion, hallucination

Near Antonyms of Lunacy

discretion, forethought, brainstorm, inspiration, lucidity, rationality, rationalness, reasonability, reasonableness, normality, logicality, logicalness, validity, discernment, insight, perception, percipience

Word Forms of Lunacy

Inflections: lunacies

Origin & Etymology of Lunacy

lun(atic) + -acy

First known use: 1541

Frequently Asked Questions about Lunacy

What does "Lunacy" mean?

"Lunacy" means insanity. As a noun, it is defined as: insanity. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Lunacy"?

Other words for "Lunacy" include absurdity, asininity, bêtise, fatuity, folly, foolery, foppery and idiocy. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Lunacy" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Lunacy"?

There are 94 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Lunacy". Common alternatives include absurdity, asininity, bêtise, fatuity, folly, foolery, foppery, idiocy, imbecility and inanity.

What is the opposite of "Lunacy"?

Antonyms of "Lunacy" include mind, saneness, sanity, prudence, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness and sapience. Near antonyms include discretion, forethought, brainstorm and inspiration.

How do you use "Lunacy" in a sentence?

Examples of "Lunacy" in a sentence: "you want to sneak into the building after the alarm is set—what lunacy!"; "the judge ruled that the lunacy of the accused made him incompetent to stand trial"; "was it desperation or lunacy that caused him to quit his job and move to California without any plan for what to do when he got there?".

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

"Lunacy" is a noun.

How do you pronounce "Lunacy"?

"Lunacy" is pronounced /ˈlü-nə-sē/ and divided into syllables as lu·na·cy.

What is the origin of the word "Lunacy"?

"Lunacy" comes from lun(atic) + -acy. First known use: 1541.