unhinged
unhinged Lexical Profile
unhinged Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Mentally unbalanced, erratic, or wildly irrational; lacking emotional or behavioral control.
"The character's increasingly unhinged monologue in the final act revealed the depth of his obsession."
Detached or removed from its hinges.
"The carpenter propped the unhinged wooden shutter against the porch wall while repairing the frame."
• verb
To make someone mentally unbalanced or throw a person's mind or composure into disorder (past tense and past participle of unhinge).
"Months of isolation and relentless stress had completely unhinged the expedition's leader."
To take or lift a door, gate, or lid off its hinges (past tense and past participle of unhinge).
"The movers unhinged the heavy oak door so they could carry the grand piano into the parlor."
• Rhymes for unhinged
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the early 17th century as the past participle of the verb 'unhinge,' the word originally described a door or gate lifted off its hinges and soon acquired its figurative meaning of a mind thrown into disorder.