lunacy

[loo-nuh-see]

noun

plural

lunacies 

1. insanity; mental disorder.

   Synonyms: aberration, mania, madness, craziness, dementia, derangement
   Antonyms: sanity, rationality

2. intermittent insanity, formerly believed to be related to phases of the moon.

   Antonyms: sanity, rationality

3. extreme foolishness or an instance of it.

   Her decision to resign was sheer lunacy.

   Synonyms: stupidity, folly

4. unsoundness of mind sufficient to incapacitate one for civil transactions: a former legal term.

lunacy

/ ˈluːnəsɪ /

noun

1. (formerly) any severe mental illness

2. foolishness or a foolish act

Word History and Origins

Origin of lunacy¹

First recorded in 1535–45; lun(atic) + -acy

Example Sentences

Is it hard, though, to freeze all the negativity and all the lunacy that has been directed at you?

From BBC

“Should reason not prevail and Republicans bring this absurdity before the Congress, Democrats will use every parliamentary and budgetary tactic available to stop the lunacy,” Pelosi said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

With a show like “And Just Like That,” faith in the series’ future is spun out of pure lunacy.

From Salon

From there, Comedy Central’s Millennial-centered “Workaholics” and the short-lived “Corporate” took a sharp turn, leaning into the lunacy of pointless meetings and meaningless goal setting among the Dockers class.

From Salon

Senator Lindsey Graham then tweeted out that while Trump was a “dark horse” candidate, he’d make an excellent Pope – and several media platforms took the bait and debated the merits of such lunacy.

From Salon

Related Words

• absurdity 
• folly 
• foolishness 
• idiocy 
• insanity 
• mania 
• silliness 
• stupidity