unhinged

adjective

un·​hinged ˌən-ˈhinjd How to pronounce unhinged (audio)
: highly disturbed, unstable, or distraught
attacked by an unhinged extremist
Somewhere along the way, her pursuit of a hot guy turned into unhinged obsession.Cosmopolitan
"Is this a new brand of humour? Or is your brain really unhinged?" inquired Tommy.Agatha Christie
see also unhinge

Examples of unhinged in a Sentence

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
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Writer-director Dean Imperial loses on such a gamble with his tedious feature debut, which tracks an unhinged night of escapades between a bunch of poker buddies. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 14 Mar. 2025 Here, Clay, played by Al Freeman Jr., is a fool too easily lured by Lula’s unhinged seduction, all but assuring his destruction. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025 The final moments of the viral KO defeat to Holloway, in which the two fighters went blow-for-blow in the waning moments before Holloway sent Gaethje to the canvas with one second left, is the unhinged hostility that Gaethje wants to summon on Saturday. Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 7 Mar. 2025 Good riddance to the most vitriolic, lowbrow, and unhinged race hustler ever allowed on national television. Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unhinged

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unhinged was in 1652

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Cite this Entry

“Unhinged.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhinged. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

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