If you describe someone's behaviour as lunacy, you mean that it seems very strange or foolish.
[disapproval]
...the lunacy of the tax system. [+ of]
It remains lunacy to produce yet more coal to add to power stations' stockpiles.
Synonyms: foolishness, madness, folly, stupidity More Synonyms of lunacy
2. uncountable noun
Lunacy is severe mental illness.
[old-fashioned]
lunacy in British English
(ˈluːnəsɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-cies
1.
(formerly) any severe mental illness
2.
foolishness or a foolish act
lunacy in American English
(ˈlunəsi)
noun
1.
a. Obsolete
intermittent insanity, formerly supposed to change in intensity with the phases of the moon
b.
mental unsoundness; insanity
2. Word forms: pluralˈlunacies
great folly or a foolish act
SIMILAR WORDS: inˈsanity
Word origin
lunatic + -cy
Examples of 'lunacy' in a sentence
lunacy
But to book him was utter lunacy.
The Sun (2010)
Visiting the world's most popular archeological site in the height of the summer holidays should have been sheer lunacy.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
So bad, in fact, that she walks a fine line between love and lunacy.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The 1980s completely took off for us, and it was total lunacy.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
This is an act of sheer lunacy when only one of the cast, admittedly its leading female character, is a native speaker.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
But a minority have been infected by health and safety lunacy, by fear of an out-of-control compensation culture and by an upbringing that discourages initiative.
The Sun (2009)
(noun)
Definition
foolishness
the lunacy of the tax system
Synonyms
foolishness
the foolishness of dangerously squabbling politicians
madness
It is political madness.
folly
a reminder of the follies of war
stupidity
I can't get over the stupidity of their decision.
absurdity
I get angry at the absurdity of a situation.
aberration
idiocy
craziness
tomfoolery
Were you serious, or was that a bit of tomfoolery?
imbecility
foolhardiness
senselessness
Opposites
reason
,
sense
,
prudence
Additional synonyms
in the sense of absurdity
I get angry at the absurdity of a situation.
Synonyms
ridiculousness,
joke,
nonsense,
malarkey,
folly,
farce,
stupidity,
foolishness,
silliness,
idiocy,
irrationality,
incongruity,
meaninglessness,
daftness (informal),
senselessness,
illogicality,
ludicrousness,
unreasonableness,
preposterousness,
farcicality,
craziness (informal),
bêtise (rare),
farcicalness,
illogicalness
in the sense of folly
Definition
the quality of being foolish
a reminder of the follies of war
Synonyms
foolishness,
bêtise (rare),
nonsense,
madness,
stupidity,
absurdity,
indiscretion,
recklessness,
silliness,
idiocy,
irrationality,
imprudence,
rashness,
fatuity,
preposterousness,
daftness (informal),
desipience
in the sense of imbecility
Synonyms
stupidity,
foolishness,
idiocy,
childishness,
inanity,
incompetency,
cretinism,
fatuity,
asininity
Nearby words of
lunacy
lump it
lumpish
lumpy
lunacy
lunatic
lunchtime
lung
Synonyms of 'lunacy'
lunacy
Explore 'lunacy' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of madness
It is political madness.
Synonyms
foolishness,
nonsense,
folly,
absurdity,
idiocy,
wildness,
daftness (informal),
foolhardiness,
preposterousness
in the sense of stupidity
I can't get over the stupidity of their decision.
Synonyms
silliness,
folly,
foolishness,
idiocy,
madness,
absurdity,
futility,
irresponsibility,
pointlessness,
inanity,
rashness,
impracticality,
foolhardiness,
senselessness,
bêtise (rare),
ludicrousness,
puerility,
fatuousness,
fatuity
in the sense of tomfoolery
Definition
foolish behaviour
Were you serious, or was that a bit of tomfoolery?