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Webster 1913 Edition

Insanity

In-san′i-ty

,
Noun.
[L.
insanitas
unsoundness; cf.
insania
insanity, F.
insanite
.]
1.
The state of being insane; unsoundness or derangement of mind; madness; lunacy.
All power of fancy over reason is a degree of
insanity
.
Johnson.
Without grace
The heart’s
insanity
admits no cure.
Cowper.
Syn. –
Insanity
,
Lunacy
,
Madness
,
Derangement
,
Alienation
,
Aberration
,
Mania
,
Delirium
,
Frenzy
,
Monomania
,
Dementia
.
Insanity is the generic term for all such diseases; lunacy has now an equal extent of meaning, though once used to denote periodical insanity; madness has the same extent, though originally referring to the rage created by the disease; derangement, alienation, are popular terms for insanity; delirium, mania, and frenzy denote excited states of the disease; dementia denotes the loss of mental power by this means; monomania is insanity upon a single subject.

Definition 2024

insanity

insanity

English

Noun

insanity ‎(countable and uncountable, plural insanities)

  1. The state of being insane; madness.

Antonyms

Synonyms

  • See also Wikisaurus:insanity

Related terms

Translations

Etymology

A three-part word (root 'sane', prefix 'in-' meaning 'not', suffix '-ity', meaning 'the state of'). Derived from Latin precursory equivalents. Two possible candidates for construction order:

Pronunciation

  • (US) IPA(key): /ɪnˈsænɪti/

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