Synonyms for lunacy
Most common
All synonyms
Noun
Definitions
- n. 1
The state of being mad, insanity A cyclical mental disease, apparently linked to the lunar phases.
Forms
- Plural
- lunacies → madnesses, crazinesses, insanities, derangements…
Choose the right word
Lunacy originally denoted intermittent insanity, supposed to be dependent on the changes of the moon (L. In the derived sense, lunacy denotes what is insanely foolish, madness what is insanely desperate.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- madness Though this be madness, yet there is method in it.
- insanity Love is a temporary insanity curable by marriage.
- craziness I have had enough of the craziness of our lives.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| lunacy | steady | |
| madness | rising | |
| insanity | steady | |
| craziness | rising | |
| derangement | falling |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 5 letters
- mania3, craze1, folly2
- 6 letters
- frenzy2
- 7 letters
- madness2, foolery3
- 8 letters
- dementia4, insanity4
- 9 letters
- craziness3
- 10 letters
- alienation5, indulgence3, aberration4, tomfoolery, insaneness
- 11 letters
- distraction3, foolishness3, derangement
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (mania3 = 3 syllables).