lunatic
lunatic — noun
1. a person whose actions are extremely foolish or reckless, creating danger for th
a person whose actions are extremely foolish or reckless, creating danger for themselves or the people near them
Some lunatic on the motorway was driving at nearly 200 kilometres an hour.
collocation: some lunatic [on/in/at location]
Only a lunatic would try to hike across that frozen lake alone at night.
pattern: 'only a lunatic would...' for expressing disbelief
Hassan called his neighbour a lunatic after she parked her car across his driveway.
Mauricio called the plan to build a raft and cross the Pacific a lunatic's dream.
The officer who jumped into the river to save the dog was called a lunatic.
- sensible person
someone who thinks carefully before acting
2. a word used in the past, especially by doctors, to describe someone with a menta
a word used in the past, especially by doctors, to describe someone with a mental illness — this term is now considered offensive and should not be used in modern language
In 19th-century hospital records, patients were often listed simply as lunatics.
historical usage context
Dr. Esteban wrote 'lunatic' on the patient's chart at Bethlem Hospital in 1880.
historical medical usage with named doctor and hospital
Aylin was upset to read a character described as a lunatic in the old novel.
The law replaced the term 'lunatic' with 'person of unsound mind' in the 20th century.
In 1902, a London judge called the man a lunatic and sent him to an asylum.
- person with a mental health condition
the respectful, modern term
- patient
appropriate in medical contexts
用法筆記
This sense is now considered offensive and stigmatising. Never use it to describe someone with a mental illness. Appropriate modern alternatives include 'person with a mental health condition', 'person experiencing psychosis', or the clinical diagnosis name. Distinguish from sense 1 (SILLY OR DANGEROUS PERSON): sense 1 is informal and describes reckless behaviour by anyone, while sense 2 referred specifically to mental illness and is now unacceptable.
常見錯誤
lunatic — adjective
1. extremely foolish and likely to cause serious harm, especially when describing a
extremely foolish and likely to cause serious harm, especially when describing a plan, idea, or action
Jisoo warned that crossing the desert without water was a lunatic idea.
pattern: a lunatic + [idea / plan / scheme]
The general rejected the attack as a lunatic scheme that would fail quickly.
Élise refused to invest in a lunatic business proposal that promised overnight profits.
Building a theme park on an active volcano struck the engineers as a lunatic project.
The villagers called it a lunatic decision to build the dam during the rainy season.
- sensible
showing good judgement
- reasonable
based on sound thinking
用法筆記
Used almost always before a noun (attributive position), not after a linking verb. You say 'a lunatic plan', not 'the plan is lunatic'. The noun sense 1 (SILLY OR DANGEROUS PERSON) is much more common than the adjective sense.