insane
- 01 B1 Intermediate
very foolish, dangerous, or extreme in a way that seems impossible.
characterised by extreme folly, impracticality, or lack of reason.
Simple“It is insane to drive that fast on such a narrow, icy road.”
In context“The company's plan to double its workforce in a single month was frankly insane given the current economic climate.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
extremely good, impressive, or surprising.
extraordinary in degree or quality; used as a high-intensity positive evaluation.
Simple“The view from the top of the mountain was absolutely insane.”
In context“The guitarist performed an insane solo that left the entire audience standing in disbelief.”
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
used to describe an amount or feeling that is much bigger than usual.
denoting an extreme or excessive degree of something, such as an amount or a physical sensation.
Simple“There was an insane amount of traffic on the way to the airport.”
In context“The pressure to meet the quarterly targets was insane, forcing the team to work through several consecutive weekends.”
From Latin īnsānus (“unsound in mind; mad, insane”), from in- + sānus (“sound, sane”), equivalent to in- + sane.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.