nutjob

noun

nut·​job ˈnət-ˌjäb How to pronounce nutjob (audio)
variants or nut job
plural nutjobs or nut jobs
informal
: a foolish or eccentric person
Full disclosure: I'm a nutjob when it comes to instant replay in sports. … I would replay the amount of chalk being used on a field if it was thought excessive.Ed Graney
also, sometimes offensive : someone who is not mentally sound

Examples of nutjob in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Is this guy a nutjob? Dalton Ross, EW.com, 29 Sep. 2022 Too many of the bits share the same arc — a seemingly mild-mannered character turns out to be a nutjob — but the cast is fully committed to each and every meltdown. Chris Hewitt, Star Tribune, 1 July 2021 Mitch McConnell got kudos for condemning the QAnon-supporting nutjob. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 3 Feb. 2021 Giving a slap on the wrist to a genuine nutjob requires a lot of political capital in the GOP these days. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 3 Feb. 2021 No danger at all of being snowed in with a murderous nutjob lot at the Rookery. Sarah Rense, Esquire, 17 Jan. 2018 Next comes Bobbi, a cheerful 20something actress from California who seems at first charmingly naïve before revealing herself as a serious nutjob. Pam Kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, 10 Sep. 2017 The premise seemed to set up a wacky sci-fi comedy about the one sane man among a group of nutjobs. James Poniewozik, New York Times, 23 July 2017

Word History

Etymology

nut entry 1 + job entry 1

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nutjob was in 1959

Dictionary Entries Near nutjob

Cite this Entry

“Nutjob.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nutjob. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!