as in psychotic
unable to think in a clear or sensible way
destined to become one of the nation's most notorious serial killers, he apparently became unhinged as a result of being abandoned as a young teen
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in disturbed
to cause to go insane or as if insane
the endless harassment by the guards completely unhinged the prisoners of war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in alarmed
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
I was momentarily unhinged by the unexpected question
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unhinged
Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Though Ava was briefly portrayed by the actresses Sara Fletcher and Linsey Godfrey in recent years, the unhinged and obsessive Ava is synonymous with Braun, who played the character in 2008, returned from 2015-2016, and then enjoyed another six-year run that ended this past April.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Clive Crook, Twin Cities, 21 Aug. 2025
The story becomes increasingly unhinged as the locals try to figure out what happened.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unhinged
Adjective
After deciding to take his family to a tourist town for some fun in the sun, a minor encounter with local bullies yanks the family into the crosshairs of an unhinged, blood-thirsty crime boss (Sharon Stone), who is determined to derail his relaxation.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Though Ava was briefly portrayed by the actresses Sara Fletcher and Linsey Godfrey in recent years, the unhinged and obsessive Ava is synonymous with Braun, who played the character in 2008, returned from 2015-2016, and then enjoyed another six-year run that ended this past April.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
Democrats should stand for compassion and fairness, but not for an encompassing theory of systemic oppression that most Americans don’t recognize and rightly view as unhinged.
—Clive Crook, Twin Cities, 21 Aug. 2025
The story becomes increasingly unhinged as the locals try to figure out what happened.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unhinged
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhinged
Adjective
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Brown's attorneys had said Brown could at times appear psychotic.—
Kevin Grasha,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Sep. 2025
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Psychologists and psychiatrists are scrambling to better understand how use of chatbots can fuel delusions and drive psychotic episodes.—
Amy Feldman,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Vic and Cali hadn’t wanted a wedding, but this had disturbed Vic’s parents.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
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Some civil servants working to bolster democracy around the world and at home, for example, were disturbed by shifts in foreign policy.—
Yvonne Zylan,
The Conversation,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The incursion was by far the largest-ever of Russian drones into NATO airspace, a move that has alarmed allied countries and fueled fears the war is escalating and spreading.—
Patrick Reevell,
ABC News,
15 Sep. 2025
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Police took Taddese’s phone and vehicle as evidence, which alarmed the family, Bernard said, explaining some of the family’s reservations about the police investigation.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Malik Heath’s insane toe-tap grab on the sideline, which was reversed after video replay review, was a massive 37-yard swing for the Packers during the drive.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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None of their other work, arguably, has had the seismic impact or inspires the same insane quotability as This Is Spinal Tap.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Phoenix’s crazed, killer Batman villain is back, and he’s now joined by Lady Gaga as the equally insane Harley Quinn.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
4 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The walk to the penalty spot didn’t feel long for Bronze, partly because she was distracted by the strapping.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
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First published in 1985, the book warned that the threat to American democracy came not from state repression, but from a culture distracted by amusement.—
Time,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Awards are both mad and lovely.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
16 Sep. 2025
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And of course, mad love and respect to Adam Yauch, Oscilloscope’s co-founder, filmmaker and Beastie Boy forever.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And Kiritsis, as Skarsgård plays him (with a jittery but logical fast-talk fervor that makes this one of the actor’s two or three most potent performances), is a very different figure than the real Tony Kiritisis, who was older and more visibly deranged.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
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Fans are even speculating that Swift may drop the first single from her upcoming album, The Life of a Showgirl, in the series finale—which seems deranged, but weirder things have happened.—
Olivia Petter,
Vogue,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unhinged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhinged. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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