unhinged 1 of 2

adjective

ˌən-ˈhinjd How to pronounce unhinged (audio)
Definition of unhingednext
as in psychotic
unable to think in a clear or sensible way destined to become one of the nation's most notorious serial killers, he apparently became unhinged as a result of being abandoned as a young teen

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

unhinged

2 of 2

verb

past tense of unhinge
1
as in disturbed
to cause to go insane or as if insane the endless harassment by the guards completely unhinged the prisoners of war

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in alarmed
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy I was momentarily unhinged by the unexpected question

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of unhinged
Adjective
Any reasonable person who has followed his unhinged obsession with me would readily come to the same conclusion. — Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 Watching her in Congress is like scrolling through the Facebook feed of the auntie who fires off unhinged political rants. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026
Verb
The film shot Curry Barker onto the A-list of new directing talent and made a star of Inde Navarrette and her virtuosically unhinged performance as Nikki. — Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026 The music of their first decade was gloriously unhinged, and inspirational to folks from Kurt Cobain to the Flaming Lips. — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for unhinged
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhinged
  1. psychotic
  2. disturbed
  3. alarmed
  4. insane
  5. crazed
  6. distracted
  7. mad
  8. deranged
Adjective
  • Psychiatric disorders are generally divided into mood disorders and psychotic disorders, Osborne said; postpartum psychosis is a mood disorder, in which mood symptoms accompany psychotic symptoms.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • But to make some generalization that all career women are psychotic because Glenn Close happened to be psychotic at the end of that movie is just silly.
    — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of psychotic
Verb
  • Paper wasps build nests under eaves, benches and fence railings and will sting if disturbed.
    — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, men are also disturbed by the NFL's social media plan.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of disturbed
Verb
  • Terrified Jewish voters—alarmed by progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s anti-Zionist rhetoric—are fleeing to Republican Mike Rogers for self-preservation.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Beau Woods, a former adviser to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Boeing’s Industry Cyber Technical Council, was alarmed by the findings.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of alarmed
Adjective
  • If that insane offer doesn’t plug the leak, the fire sale begins.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • That’s a big memory for me as a kid, so having that happen is insane.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of insane
Verb
  • If the lenses are badly crazed, meaning marred by microscopic cracks in the lens surface, or moisture is trapped inside the housing, replacement is the better option.
    — John Paul, The Providence Journal, 3 July 2026
  • The story quickly captivated an American public already more space-crazed than usual, thanks to the recent success of Artemis II.
    — Govert Schilling, Scientific American, 27 June 2026
Definition of crazed
Verb
  • Kiser’s husband, Brady Kiser, said he had been briefly distracted while watching Trigg while his wife was away.
    — Shayna Jacobs, NBC news, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Debbie intervenes to defuse the tension, then gets distracted by the presence of her nemesis, Cha Cha.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of distracted
Adjective
  • Frequent zoom-ins shown on screens showed sweat dripping down his face, and his hair resembled something similar to a mad scientist after an experiment blows up in their face.
    — Joseph Hernandez August 13, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026
  • These statements and actions, some conservatives said at the time in a finger-wagging tone, demonstrated that mass suicide at the feet of a power-mad dictator was the predictable result of radical left-wing politics.
    — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of mad
Verb
  • Featuring an ensemble populated by killer character actors like Jacki Weaver, Luis Guzmán, Kurtwood Smith, Timothy Spall, and Michael Chernus, Perpetual Grace, LTD is an off-kilter neo-noir that mines deranged humor from its eccentric characters.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Frank, moving, and just slightly deranged.
    — Namara Smith, New Yorker, 10 June 2026
Definition of deranged

Browse Nearby Words

unhinge
unhinged
unhinges
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unhinged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhinged. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on unhinged

Nglish: Translation of unhinged for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of rigmarole

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All