batty
/'bæti/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Mentally irregular; crazy or eccentric: Used informally or in slang to describe someone who behaves in a strange, foolish, or irrational way.
Usage
- This word is informal and often used in a humorous or light-hearted, though sometimes critical, manner to describe eccentric behavior or ideas. It is not a clinical term.
Examples
- Adjective:
- My neighbor is a bit batty; she talks to her plants all day.
- He came up with a batty plan to build a house out of recycled bottles.
- The constant noise from the construction is driving me batty.
Advanced Usage
- "to drive someone batty": To irritate or annoy someone to the point of exasperation or frustration.
- The repetitive song on the radio is driving me batty.
- "as batty as a fruitcake": An idiom emphasizing extreme eccentricity or foolishness.
- The old inventor in the story was as batty as a fruitcake, but his ideas sometimes worked.
Variants and Related Words
- Bats (adj, informal): Crazy or insane.
- He's gone completely bats.
- Bat (n): The animal; this adjective is derived from the phrase "bats in the belfry," an old slang term for crazy.
- Belfry (n): A bell tower; part of the idiom "bats in the belfry."
Synonyms
- Crazy: Behaving in a wild or strange way.
- Bonkers: Informal term for mad or crazy.
- Loony: Informal term for insane or foolish.
- Nutty: Informal term for crazy or eccentric.
- Balmy: Mildly crazy or foolish (as in the reference context).
Antonyms
- Sane: Of sound mind; not mentally ill.
- Rational: Based on or in accordance with reason or logic.
- Sensible: Having or showing good sense or judgment.
Related Idioms
- Bats in the belfry: To be crazy or eccentric.
- Ever since he retired, people say he's got bats in the belfry.
Adjective
- informal or slang terms for mentally irregular
- it used to drive my husband balmy