1
often offensive
: mentally unsound : insane sense 1b
—not used technically
2
sometimes offensive
: wildly odd or eccentric
His life was crowded, rather than peacefully isolated, and certainly never of an Olympian detachment, even though he was capable of quite deranged gestures of show-offy extravagance—such as buying an enormous house, more suitable for a banker than a painter …—
Robert Hughes
Robert HughesOr you could take part in a deranged computer game where you had to cycle after a huge beach ball, scoop it up and throw it through a hoop, scoring points for each goal.—Natasha Ellis
Natasha Ellis3
dated, now sometimes offensive
: disturbed or disordered in function, structure, or condition
My leg was propped up on a library chair at the time, as it was too deranged to bend.—Cynthia Gorney
Cynthia GorneyBut other work indicates that, in addition, the B lymphocytes of lupus patients are inherently deranged …—Moncef Zouali
Moncef ZoualiSynonyms of deranged
Examples of deranged in a Sentence
a deranged prisoner who had been in that rat-infested hole for 20 years
Recent Examples on the Web
Naturally, googling Messi and Roccuzzo yields some truly deranged headlines, such as one from the Daily Mail that suggests the couple’s 2023 trip to a Publix supermarket was (gasp) staged.
—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
24 June 2026
These new bodies seem to be having more success organizing (usually deranged) events, including a massive military parade in downtown Washington last year, as well as an IndyCar race and a UFC fight scheduled for this summer at the White House.
—
Christopher Hooks,
Harpers Magazine,
23 June 2026
The film ushered in a horror subgenre of stories of modern suburbanites and city folk suffering a gory demise at the hands of deranged hillbillies, notably including The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977).
—
Jordana Rosenfeld,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
12 June 2026
The plot of the series sees the band kidnapped by a deranged fan who forces them to release new music.
—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for deranged
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Emma Specter,
Vogue,
24 June 2026
These new bodies seem to be having more success organizing (usually deranged) events, including a massive military parade in downtown Washington last year, as well as an IndyCar race and a UFC fight scheduled for this summer at the White House.
—
Christopher Hooks,
Harpers Magazine,
23 June 2026
The film ushered in a horror subgenre of stories of modern suburbanites and city folk suffering a gory demise at the hands of deranged hillbillies, notably including The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977).
—
Jordana Rosenfeld,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
12 June 2026
The plot of the series sees the band kidnapped by a deranged fan who forces them to release new music.
—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for deranged
Cite this Entry
“Deranged.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deranged. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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