insanity
insanity — 名詞
1. a decision, action, or situation that is so foolish or risky that it appears to
荒謬；荒唐
極度愚蠢或危險的行為
a decision, action, or situation that is so foolish or risky that it appears to have no logic or sense behind it.
Riding a bicycle without brakes down a steep mountain road is sheer insanity.
在陡峭的山路上騎沒有剎車的腳踏車，簡直荒謬至極。
sheer insanity — intensifier for emphasis
Joon thought his roommate's plan to drop out of college was pure insanity.
Joon 覺得室友打算輟學的計畫荒唐至極。
consider + plan + to be + insanity
The company's decision to ignore all safety warnings struck many workers as complete insanity.
公司忽視所有安全警告的決定，讓許多員工覺得完全荒謬。
It would be insanity to let children play near an uncovered well in the garden.
讓小孩在花園裡沒有加蓋的水井旁玩耍，簡直荒唐。
文法句型
insanity of + noun/gerund
sheer/pure/absolute + insanity
it is insanity to + infinitive
常見錯誤
2. a state of extreme irritation, frustration, or emotional upset that makes it har
抓狂；惱怒
極度惱怒或激動的狀態
a state of extreme irritation, frustration, or emotional upset that makes it hard to think clearly or act calmly.
The constant dripping from the faulty tap drove Lotte almost to insanity.
故障水龍頭持續滴水的聲音，把 Lotte 逼到幾乎抓狂。
drive [somebody] to insanity — cause extreme irritation
Adina felt insanity creeping in as she hunted for her keys for the fourth time that morning.
Adina 那天早上第四次找鑰匙時，感覺一股惱怒慢慢湧上來。
Stuck in traffic with a crying toddler, Sirin was close to insanity.
塞在車陣裡，身邊還有個哭鬧的學步兒，Sirin 快要抓狂了。
The sheer insanity of trying to get five children to school on time overwhelmed Nia.
要讓五個孩子準時上學的那種令人抓狂的感覺，讓 Nia 不知所措。
- madness
more common and slightly less intense than 'insanity'
- fury
focuses more on anger than general frustration
- desperation
implies a feeling of hopelessness rather than irritation
文法句型
drive [somebody] to insanity
close to insanity
the insanity of + gerund
用法筆記
Common in informal exaggeration: 'This is driving me to insanity' usually expresses frustration rather than a literal mental state. Often paired with 'sheer,' 'absolute,' or 'near.'
常見錯誤
3. a term used in the past for severe mental illness, still found in some legal sys
精神失常
嚴重精神疾病的舊稱
a term used in the past for severe mental illness, still found in some legal systems but generally considered outdated and potentially offensive in everyday speech.
In the nineteenth century, doctors used the word 'insanity' to describe many different mental conditions.
十九世紀時，醫生用「精神失常」這個詞來描述許多不同的精神狀況。
historical medical usage
The jury decided the man was not guilty by reason of insanity.
陪審團裁定該名男子因精神失常而不負刑責。
legal phrase: not guilty by reason of insanity
Calling a friend's depression 'insanity' can sound old-fashioned and hurtful.
把朋友的憂鬱症稱為「精神失常」，聽起來既過時又傷人。
Cyrus read about the history of the word 'insanity' and how it was once a medical label.
Cyrus 讀到「精神失常」一詞的歷史，以及它曾經是醫學診斷用語的時代。
- madness
also outdated but still more common in casual speech than 'insanity'
- mental illness
modern, neutral, and preferred in most contexts
- psychosis
a specific medical term for severe mental disorders involving loss of contact with reality
- sanity
the state of being mentally healthy
- mental health
the preferred modern term for the absence of mental illness
文法句型
not guilty by reason of insanity
plea of insanity
diagnosed with insanity (historical)
用法筆記
Avoid using this sense in everyday conversation about mental health. Modern alternatives include 'mental illness,' 'mental health condition,' or specific terms such as 'psychosis' or 'schizophrenia.' The word survives in legal terminology — e.g. the 'insanity defence' — where it has a precise procedural meaning. Using it informally to describe someone's condition can be perceived as dismissive or stigmatising.