crazy
crazy — adjective
1. doing or saying things that are very stupid and completely lacking in good sense
doing or saying things that are very stupid and completely lacking in good sense or reason
Christopher thought it was a crazy idea to drive across the country in one day.
collocation: crazy idea
The whole plan seemed crazy because it would never survive a safety check.
subject: inanimate (plan)
It sounds crazy to spend that much money on a pair of running shoes.
The teacher told the students their proposal was crazy and they needed a better one.
- stupid
stronger and more insulting; directly attacks intelligence
- foolish
slightly milder; suggests bad judgment more than low intelligence
- silly
even milder; suggests something is trivial or childish
- unreasonable
focuses on lack of logical thinking rather than general foolishness
- sensible
showing good judgment and reason
- reasonable
based on sound logic
文法句型
crazy + noun (idea / plan / thing)
常見錯誤
2. having a serious mental illness that prevents a person from thinking clearly or
having a serious mental illness that prevents a person from thinking clearly or behaving in a way that society considers normal
In the past, people thought that anyone acting strangely must be crazy.
historical context marker: 'in the past'
The old hospital was built to care for patients who were considered crazy.
passive: were considered crazy
Gabriel's grandfather became confused and sometimes seemed a little crazy.
Many poor people were locked away simply for being different, not for being truly crazy.
- insane
stronger and carries a legal/clinical history; also potentially offensive
- mentally ill
the neutral, respectful clinical term for someone with a mental health condition
- deranged
more dramatic and literary; suggests severe disturbance
文法句型
be crazy
go crazy
act crazy
用法筆記
This sense can be offensive when used to describe someone with an actual mental health condition. In modern usage it appears mostly in historical contexts, in quoted speech, or as an informal exaggeration ('I feel like I am going crazy with all this work'). The clinical terms 'mentally ill' or 'having a mental health condition' are preferred in serious contexts.
常見錯誤
3. very annoyed or angry about a situation, especially one that feels unfair or fru
very annoyed or angry about a situation, especially one that feels unfair or frustrating
Aarav was crazy with anger when he saw that his bicycle had been stolen.
pattern: crazy with + emotion noun
The noise from the building site is driving the neighbours crazy.
pattern: drive someone crazy
Sirin's little brother drove her crazy by singing the same song on repeat.
Tendai went crazy when he found a deep scratch along the side of his new car.
文法句型
drive someone crazy
go crazy
make someone crazy
用法筆記
This sense appears almost exclusively in the fixed patterns 'drive someone crazy', 'go crazy', or 'make someone crazy'. The adjective by itself ('I am crazy') does not convey anger — that reading only works inside these constructions.
常見錯誤
4. having an extremely strong interest in something or someone, so that it takes up
having an extremely strong interest in something or someone, so that it takes up a great deal of your time, attention, and energy
Rodrigo is crazy about horse-riding and goes to the stables every weekend.
pattern: crazy about + gerund
Cyrus is crazy for video games and pre-orders every new title that comes out.
pattern: crazy for + noun
Adaeze is crazy about baking and tries a different recipe every week.
Eli went crazy for the band after hearing their first album at a friend's party.
- enthusiastic
more formal and neutral; less intense
- passionate
similar intensity but suggests emotional depth rather than obsessive interest
- obsessed
stronger and more negative; suggests the interest has become unhealthy
- mad
British equivalent; 'mad about football' means the same as 'crazy about football'
- indifferent
not interested one way or the other
- apathetic
lacking any interest or enthusiasm
文法句型
crazy about + noun/gerund
crazy for + noun
go crazy for/over + noun
用法筆記
Commonly followed by 'about' or 'for' to specify the object of enthusiasm. 'Crazy about' is more frequent in British English; 'crazy for' is more frequent in American English. The structure 'go crazy for/over' describes the moment of becoming enthusiastic.
常見錯誤
5. very strange, unusual, or surprising in a way that seems hard to believe or diff
very strange, unusual, or surprising in a way that seems hard to believe or difficult to explain
A woman on the bus wore a crazy hat shaped like a giant piece of fruit.
collocation: crazy hat
Rin told us a crazy story about meeting a famous actor at a noodle shop.
collocation: crazy story
The artist makes crazy sculptures out of broken electronics and scrap metal.
Astrid painted her room a crazy shade of bright orange that hurt the eyes.
- bizarre
similar in meaning but slightly more formal; suggests things are unsettlingly strange
- weird
very common informal alternative; slightly milder
- ridiculous
adds a sense of being laughable or absurd
- absurd
suggests something is so unreasonable it is almost funny
文法句型
crazy + noun (story / colour / outfit)
crazy — noun
1. a person whose behaviour is very strange, unreasonable, or mentally unbalanced,
a person whose behaviour is very strange, unreasonable, or mentally unbalanced, as judged by the people around them
Some crazy on the subway was shouting at people who were not even there.
informal countable use: 'some crazy'
Ezra told us to ignore the loud man on the bus and just call him a crazy.
People called the old inventor a crazy when he first described flying machines.
The film follows a young doctor who tries to help a confused old crazy living in a park.
文法句型
a crazy
some crazy
the crazy
用法筆記
When used to describe someone with a diagnosed mental illness, this noun is offensive and should be avoided. It appears most naturally in informal speech about someone whose behaviour seems wildly unreasonable ('some crazy cut in front of me'), in historical contexts, or as part of a fixed phrase ('a crazy old' + noun).
常見錯誤
crazy — adverb
1. used as an intensifier before adjectives and adverbs to mean 'very' or 'extremel
used as an intensifier before adjectives and adverbs to mean 'very' or 'extremely', especially in casual American English speech
The fans cheered crazy loud when the underdog team scored the winning goal.
pattern: crazy + adjective (loud)
The sales team worked crazy hard to finish the project before the deadline.
pattern: crazy + adverb (hard)
It was crazy cold last night, so we stayed home and drank hot chocolate.
The little boy ran crazy fast and still missed the school bus by a few seconds.
- insanely
similar informal intensifier in American English
- ridiculously
slightly more accepted in semi-formal contexts
- extremely
neutral and appropriate for all contexts
文法句型
crazy + adjective (crazy loud / crazy good)
crazy + adverb (crazy fast)
用法筆記
This adverbial use is restricted to very informal American English. It is not used in British English, nor in formal writing of any variety. In the UK, 'crazy' is not used as an adverb — speakers use 'really', 'very', or 'insanely' instead.