insanity
/ɪnˈsænɪti/ noun
Forms insanities
- noun The state of being insane; madness. “The defendant pleaded insanity in the hope of getting a reduced sentence.”
Synonyms
bedlamism brainsickness craze craziness derangement insaneness lunacy lune madness mental disorder mental illness unreason unsanity
Antonyms
buttons lucidity lucidness marbles mind saneness sanity mental health
Etymology
A three-part word (root 'sane', prefix 'in-' meaning 'not', suffix '-ity', meaning 'the state of'). Derived from Latin precursory equivalents. Two possible candidates for construction order:
* insane + -ity: īnsānus (“unhealthy; insane”) + -itās
*: Latin īnsānus (“unsound in mind; mad, insane”), from in- + sānus (“sound, sane”). Modern forms of roots: in- + sane
* in- + sanity: in- (“lacking; without”) + sānitās (“health; sanity”)
*: Latin sānitās (“sound in mind; sane”), from sānus + -itās. Modern forms of roots: sane + -ity
Webster’s 1913
- noun The state of being insane; unsoundness or derangement of mind; madness; lunacy.
- noun Such a mental condition, as, either from the existence of delusions, or from incapacity to distinguish between right and wrong, with regard to any matter under action, does away with individual responsibility.
Etymology [L. insanitas unsoundness; cf. insania insanity, F. insanite.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “insanity”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details