1
as in dementia
a serious mental disorder that prevents one from living a safe and normal life
his incurable insanity requires that he spend the rest of his life in a mental hospital
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in absurdity
a foolish act or idea
everyone laughed at the latest insanity from the town eccentric
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in madness
lack of good sense or judgment
had the insanity to think that taking over a government building in protest of our foreign policy was a good idea
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of insanity
The man charged in a 2023 shooting that killed a pregnant Seattle woman and her unborn baby has been found not guilty by reason of insanity.
—
Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 22 Mar. 2026
The mere decision to embark on such an endeavor takes bravery and maybe a little insanity.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2026
The group ventriloquized the voices of authority—parents, school principals, cops, military officers, judges, politicians, newscasters, Soviet apparatchiks—and turned them into expressions of mass insanity.
—Andrew Katzenstein, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
The film features a slew of genuine performances, which power up the violent insanity into something at once sensational and dramatic.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for insanity
Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 22 Mar. 2026
The mere decision to embark on such an endeavor takes bravery and maybe a little insanity.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2026
The group ventriloquized the voices of authority—parents, school principals, cops, military officers, judges, politicians, newscasters, Soviet apparatchiks—and turned them into expressions of mass insanity.
—Andrew Katzenstein, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
The film features a slew of genuine performances, which power up the violent insanity into something at once sensational and dramatic.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for insanity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insanity
Noun
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Shon Lowe, a Chicago-area resident, is a patient advocate and caregiver to her mother, Terrie Montgomery, a longtime advocate who lives with frontotemporal dementia.—
Shon Lowe,
Twin Cities,
26 Mar. 2026
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Prosecutors used details from the home takeover to argue for a lengthy prison term, describing how Serrano and other gangsters took advantage of an 84-year-old woman who had dementia.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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All of this readily registers on Barry’s Dada-absurdity meter.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
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What the Meme Revealed About Surgical Technology Beneath the absurdity, the grape videos demonstrated real capabilities.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Ice Cream Man follows an idyllic summer town descending into madness when an ice cream man serves kids sweet delights with horrifying results.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2026
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The slasher takes place in an idyllic summer town that descends into madness when an ice cream man serves kids from his truck with horrifying results.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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His high school gym was not the massive cathedrals built to serve the altars of Hoosier hysteria, but with 4,620 seats, the Greenfield Cougar Den is no slouch, either.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
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But thanks to the postwar anti-alien hysteria and the deportation laws enacted during and soon after the First World War, the island’s business has become the expulsion of foreigners.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Smart, skilled, hardworking people gracefully put up with all manner of tragedy, stupidity, and institutional rot.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2026
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Speaking of stupidity, Kathy, pay for the Second Ave.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Japanese pickling methods, such as nukazuke (fermentation in rice bran), emphasized minimalism and balance, reflecting the cultural values of harmony and simplicity.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
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The beauty of cafe curtains lies in their simplicity.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Prosecutors focused in the first trial on Dominguez’s mental state at the time of the attacks, with doctors testifying to his diagnosis of schizophrenia.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
25 Mar. 2026
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Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have been identified to be at greater risk of developing psychotic conditions such as bipolar or schizophrenia, compared with neurotypical kids.—
David Cox,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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There’s a heartwarming idiocy to their pursuit, yet what festers underneath is their inability to process grief consciously and the fear that those who deem their existence meaningless might be right.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
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Gunther and Tig are two billionaire failsons who have wasted countless opportunities and cash chasing the stupidest ideas and who get rewarded over and over again for their idiocy.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insanity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insanity. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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