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# insane

adjective (insane, more insane)

«insane» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (old or offensive when used of people) Seriously mentally ill; today doctors use «mental illness» instead. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insane/#m1)
2. (informal) Very foolish or crazy, as in «That's an insane idea». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insane/#m2)
3. (slang) Amazing or extreme, as in «That goal was insane!» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insane/#m3)

### In the lessons

In everyday and slang talk pupils hear it for something amazing or wild: «The rollercoaster was insane!» In stories it may describe a mad plan. Using it about people with real mental illness is hurtful, so pupils learn kinder words. Phrases: drive someone insane (annoy a lot), an insane amount of.

### Examples

- That skateboard trick was insane! (slang) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insane/#x1)
- It would be insane to swim in that storm. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insane/#x2)
- This homework is driving me insane. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insane/#x3)
- There was an insane amount of traffic. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insane/#x4)
- The price of those trainers is insane. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insane/#x5)
- Old books called people with mental illness «insane», but today we say «mentally ill». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insane/#x6)
- I do the most insane things I possibly can, and then I tell a poet about it, and thus the whole town gets to know of it directly." [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insane/#x7)

### Note

Opposite: sane. Noun: insanity. Be careful: calling a person «insane» can be rude and hurtful. In slang it is a strong word of praise, not about illness. «An insane amount» does not give a number.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «insane» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/insane/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«insane» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/insane.html) on Mova free.