demented
adjective
de·ment·ed
di-ˈmen-təd 
1
: mad, insane
The advertising campaign for the movie version is trying to sell it as a prankish comedy, with the eccentric aunt who appears from nowhere as a demented Mary Poppins.—
Pauline Kael
Pauline Kael… the violence was instigated directly by Serbian nationalists in Bosnia and in Belgrade as part of their demented project to separate the two intermixed ethnic communities once and for all,—Charles Simic
Charles Simic2
: affected by or exhibiting cognitive dementia
At least one-third of people serving as caregivers for a demented husband or wife become chronically depressed.—Bennett D. Gurian
Bennett D. Gurian
dementedly
adverb
dementedness
noun
Synonyms
- balmy
- barmy [chiefly British]
- bats
- batty
- bedlam
- bonkers
- brainsick
- bughouse [slang]
- certifiable
- crackbrained
- cracked
- crackers
- crackpot
- cranky [dialect]
- crazed
- crazy
- cuckoo
- daffy
- daft
- deranged
- fruity [slang]
- gaga
- haywire
- insane
- kooky
- kookie
- loco [slang]
- loony
- looney
- loony tunes
- looney tunes
- lunatic
- mad
- maniacal
- maniac
- mental
- meshuga
- meshugge
- meshugah
- meshuggah
- moonstruck
- non compos mentis
- nuts
- nutty
- psycho
- psychotic
- scatty [chiefly British]
- screwy
- unbalanced
- unhinged
- unsound
- wacko
- whacko
- wacky
- whacky
- wud [chiefly Scottish]
Examples of demented in a Sentence
Many of the patients there were demented.
In the movie, he plays a demented man trying to survive on the streets of Los Angeles.
Her demented ramblings are a symptom of her illness.
He gave me a demented little smile.
parents who are almost demented with worry
Recent Examples on the Web
In fact, the end credits feature brief snippets from the 2015 film, probably to remind viewers of what happened in that movie but also maybe to end on a slightly more triumphant note than the totally demented actual finale of Furiosa.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 May 2024
In The Capital, all the genuine idealists in the novel are old, lonely, demented, or dead—with no connection to the modern world.
—Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2019
Fans have been tempted to compare Aegon to another demented prince of Westeros, but after meeting Jack Gleeson at 2022's first official Game of Thrones convention in Los Angeles, Glynn-Carney pushes back on the Joffrey comparisons.
—EW.com, 14 May 2024
The actor is playing a demented and villainous warlord, which is a far cry from his trademark Thor role.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 13 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for demented 
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 May 2024
In The Capital, all the genuine idealists in the novel are old, lonely, demented, or dead—with no connection to the modern world.
—Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2019
Fans have been tempted to compare Aegon to another demented prince of Westeros, but after meeting Jack Gleeson at 2022's first official Game of Thrones convention in Los Angeles, Glynn-Carney pushes back on the Joffrey comparisons.
—EW.com, 14 May 2024
The actor is playing a demented and villainous warlord, which is a far cry from his trademark Thor role.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 13 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for demented
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'demented.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near demented
Cite this Entry
“Demented.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demented. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
demented
adjective
de·ment·ed
di-ˈment-əd
: affected by or exhibiting cognitive dementia
dementedly
adverb
dementedness
noun
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