lunatical
Definition
- Adjective:
- Affected with or characteristic of lunacy; insane or mad: "lunatical" describes someone or something that is mentally unsound, irrational, or wildly foolish.
- Wildly foolish or eccentric: It can also refer to behavior or ideas that are extremely impractical, bizarre, or outlandish.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- His lunatical scheme to build a castle on a cloud was dismissed by everyone. (His idea was wildly foolish and irrational.)
- The old man's lunatical laughter echoed through the empty halls. (His laughter was characteristic of insanity or madness.)
Advanced Usage
"to be lunatical": to exhibit extreme irrationality or madness.
- The king's lunatical decisions led to the ruin of the kingdom. (His decisions were insane and destructive.)
"a lunatical idea": an idea that is absurd or impractical.
- Proposing to travel to the moon on a bicycle is a truly lunatical idea. (The idea is wildly foolish.)
Variants and Related Words
Lunatic (n/adj): a person who is mentally ill or insane; also an adjective meaning insane.
- The lunatic was locked in the asylum. (A person with severe mental illness.)
Lunacy (n): insanity; foolish or reckless behavior.
- Driving at such speed in the fog is sheer lunacy. (Extreme foolishness.)
Synonyms
- Insane: mentally ill; not of sound mind.
- Mad: suffering from a serious mental disorder; extremely foolish.
- Deranged: having a disturbed state of mind; insane.
- Crazed: driven to madness; wildly excited.
Phrasal Verbs
- None directly associated with "lunatical"; however, the related verb "to rave" (to talk wildly or deliriously) can be used in context.
- He raved like a lunatical man about invisible enemies. (He spoke in an insane manner.)
Related Idioms
Mad as a hatter: completely insane or crazy.
- His lunatical behavior made him seem as mad as a hatter. (Extremely insane.)
Off one's rocker: crazy; mentally unstable.
- Anyone who believes that story must be off their rocker — it's a lunatical notion. (Completely irrational.)