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
Lucky for Michele, Laurel starts to break down, incapable of finding the will to continue this demented game of Royal Match.
—Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2024
Hip-hop/acting star Ice-T went with a demented clown look while his wife, actress Coco Austin with a Harley Quinn look at Heidi Klum’s annual Halloween Party.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Coppola snatches unassimilated ideas from current political paranoia and recent cultural catastrophes (manic news media promoting celebrity insanity), all tossed into the mix with demented incoherence.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Oct. 2024
In the sequel, co-written by Phillips and Scott Silver, Joker meets his demented muse, Harley Quinn, while serving time for murder at Arkham Asylum.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for demented 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2024
Hip-hop/acting star Ice-T went with a demented clown look while his wife, actress Coco Austin with a Harley Quinn look at Heidi Klum’s annual Halloween Party.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Coppola snatches unassimilated ideas from current political paranoia and recent cultural catastrophes (manic news media promoting celebrity insanity), all tossed into the mix with demented incoherence.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Oct. 2024
In the sequel, co-written by Phillips and Scott Silver, Joker meets his demented muse, Harley Quinn, while serving time for murder at Arkham Asylum.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for demented
Dictionary Entries Near demented
Cite this Entry
“Demented.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demented. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
demented
adjective
de·ment·ed
di-ˈment-əd
: affected by or exhibiting cognitive dementia
dementedly
adverb
dementedness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share