craziness
craziness — noun
1. behaviour, ideas, or situations that are extremely foolish, unreasonable, or not
behaviour, ideas, or situations that are extremely foolish, unreasonable, or not at all sensible — often used when someone is annoyed or frustrated by what another person is doing or suggesting.
Ravindra could not believe the craziness of the plan his colleagues had come up with.
craziness of [the plan / the idea / the situation]
The traffic in the city centre was pure craziness during the holiday sales.
pure / sheer / absolute craziness
Soraya laughed and told her sister that the whole argument was just craziness.
Jin said the crowds at the festival were a new level of craziness.
- foolishness
softer and less emotional than 'craziness'; more neutral
- absurdity
slightly more formal; emphasises illogical or ridiculous quality
- madness
overlaps in meaning but can also carry the offensive sense of mental illness; use with caution
- sanity
opposite in both the 'foolish behaviour' and 'mental health' senses
- reasonableness
captures the opposite of unreasonable/foolish behaviour specifically
用法筆記
Used in everyday speech to express annoyance, disbelief, or frustration at something that seems pointless or wild. Common in informal settings with intensifiers such as 'sheer', 'pure', 'absolute', or 'total'.
2. an offensive way of referring to a mental illness or to behaviour that is wrongl
an offensive way of referring to a mental illness or to behaviour that is wrongly or cruelly assumed to be typical of someone who has a mental illness. This sense is now widely considered hurtful and stigmatising.
The old film used craziness as a cheap excuse for its villain's actions.
used in a derogatory or dismissive context
Calling someone's behaviour 'craziness' instead of acknowledging their mental health needs can cause real harm.
Adaeze explained why the word 'craziness' can be hurtful when used about mental illness.
The doctor gently corrected the family member who used the word 'craziness' to describe a real condition.
用法筆記
POTENTIALLY OFFENSIVE. Avoid using this word to describe mental illness or people who have a mental health condition. Many people and advocacy groups consider it demeaning and stigmatising. Prefer neutral, respectful terms such as 'mental illness', 'mental health condition', or 'psychological disorder'.