1
as in psychopath
a person having or showing a severely disordered or abnormal state of mind
brought in a counselor to work with the student they worried might be a head case
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in eccentric
a person of odd or whimsical habits
an area of scientific research that's a good niche for social misfits and hard-core head cases
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of head case
My question is, with what AB did to the Raiders, Why would Gruden/Mayock want to take another head case like Jalen Ramsey?
—
Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2019
Brown is the foremost head case and headache in the NFL.
—BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2019
Whiteside has a reputation of being a bit of a head case, and also, in need of motivation.
—oregonlive.com, 1 July 2019
One game Kevin Durant is a head case, the next he’s dialed in.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 June 2018
Here’s a toast to both of them, performing in such relevant games after being written off as hopeless head cases earlier in their careers.
—Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 May 2018
Grant Goodrich of Cleveland, who heads Case Western Reserve University's Great Lakes Energy Institute, collected $72,192 in the quarter, spent $28,273 and had $48,919 in the bank.
—Sabrina Eaton, cleveland.com, 16 Apr. 2018
Then again, the finale may just add to the mystery, and turn not just a few, but every single character into a head case tortured by strange, traumatic visions and memories.
—Kristi Turnquist, OregonLive.com, 12 Apr. 2018
Neither of the Aboutaam brothers has been charged with any wrongdoing related to any of these investigations or to the bull’s head case.
—Georgi Kantchev, WSJ, 27 Sep. 2017
Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2019
Brown is the foremost head case and headache in the NFL.
—BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2019
Whiteside has a reputation of being a bit of a head case, and also, in need of motivation.
—oregonlive.com, 1 July 2019
One game Kevin Durant is a head case, the next he’s dialed in.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 June 2018
Here’s a toast to both of them, performing in such relevant games after being written off as hopeless head cases earlier in their careers.
—Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 May 2018
Grant Goodrich of Cleveland, who heads Case Western Reserve University's Great Lakes Energy Institute, collected $72,192 in the quarter, spent $28,273 and had $48,919 in the bank.
—Sabrina Eaton, cleveland.com, 16 Apr. 2018
Then again, the finale may just add to the mystery, and turn not just a few, but every single character into a head case tortured by strange, traumatic visions and memories.
—Kristi Turnquist, OregonLive.com, 12 Apr. 2018
Neither of the Aboutaam brothers has been charged with any wrongdoing related to any of these investigations or to the bull’s head case.
—Georgi Kantchev, WSJ, 27 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for head case
Noun
-
As villains go, Brody was a teddy bear compared to the gout-stricken, carnal-minded, capricious psychopath Lewis plays here on the English throne.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
20 Mar. 2025
-
Everyone’s favorite serial killer psychopath Joe Goldberg is back for one last killing spree — and maybe, finally, a bit of justice — in the new trailer for the fifth and final season of You, which premieres on April 24 on Netflix.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Robert Redford delivers folksy wisdom as a local eccentric who once had his own dragon encounter, and even Karl Urban’s greedy logger is more of a nuisance than an outright villain.—
Josh Bell,
Vulture,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Attracting talent for greater innovation hazards acquiring a few eccentrics whose gifts come wrapped in controversial packaging.—
Chip Bell,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Alanna is definitely in the running for my favorite overhauled show character.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
28 Mar. 2025
-
The series’s expansion of the portrait of the prince’s other children is at first welcome, but this determination to better round out secondary characters soon becomes an enormous problem.—
Anthony Paletta,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Holding out hope for Hannah’s return, or Janine’s liberation, or… anything, really, by this point in the Hulu drama’s final run can feel like a fool’s errand.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
8 Apr. 2025
-
That said, sense-making is a fool’s errand in this era.—
Damon Beres,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The story was one aspect – a group of friends who encounter a family of cannibals, including the chainsaw-wielding maniac known as Leatherface.—
Borys Kit,
The Hollywood Reporter,
21 Mar. 2025
-
There is no saving the world, no genocidal maniac trying to conquer new realms.—
Rafael Motamayor,
IndieWire,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Kevin Williamson, the writer who created the franchise with the 1996 original, is directing the sequel. Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown, the other half of the reboots' Core Four along with Ortega and Barrera, will reprise their roles.—
Benjamin VanHoose,
People.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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Thornton pointed to the authenticity of Landman to account for the Paramount+ original’s popularity as the number one streaming show in January of this year.—
Fred Topel,
Deadline,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Common insect predators in the home garden include lacewings, syrphid (flower or hover) flies, minute pirate bugs, ground beetles, and ladybeetles.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Torches and even glow-in-the-dark bugs are an effective weapon against the photo-sensitive local fauna, though naked flames do lose their power when nightfall brings the first rain in years.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Texturally, the series is best categorized as a psycho-thriller, but the design of the episodes is never redundant.—
WIRED,
WIRED,
17 Mar. 2023
-
Another summer, another hook-wielding psycho killer — and maybe some familiar faces too.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
7 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Head case.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/head%20case. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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