őrült
[ˈøːrylt]
The English word "crazy" can be translated into Hungarian using several forms, most commonly őrült. Wiktionary also lists bolond and kattant.
Meaning: insane, demented (adj)
Ways to say it
| Hungarian | IPA |
|---|---|
| őrült | [ˈøːrylt] (narrow) |
| bolond | [ˈbolond] (narrow) |
| kattant |
Hungarian uses different words depending on whether you mean actual insanity, acting silly or describing an intense level of something. To use "crazy" as an adverb meaning "extremely" or "intensely," use the phrase őrült módon.
Which one should you use?
While őrült implies actual insanity or extreme intensity, bolond is often used more lightly to mean silly, foolish or crazy. If you want to describe someone who has "snapped" or suddenly lost their mental faculties, you can use the colloquial verb form kattant.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of bolond is bolondok, used for fools or crazy people. The plural form of őrült is őrültek, used for insane people.
Did you know?
- The word bolond shares an ancient root with the Russian word for 'fornication', suggesting a historical link between 'straying' from a path and 'straying' from reason.
- If you call someone kattant, you are literally saying they have 'clicked', like a switch or a mechanical part snapping into place.
- While őrült means 'crazy', it is the only word among these that functions as a past participle of a verb meaning 'to go insane'.
Examples in context
- Ez őrült módon fáj!This hurts like crazy.This sentence shows how to use őrült to express an intense level of pain.Tatoeba #12113750 by maaster, translation #12113747 by CK
- Egy kicsit bolond ő.He's a little crazy.This sentence uses bolond to describe someone as being a little crazy.Tatoeba #4799920 by maaster, translation #4798662 by cairnhead
- Őrült egy év volt ez.It's been a crazy year.This sentence uses őrült to describe a year that was crazy.Tatoeba #8377620 by Pandaa, translation #5012682 by CK
- Az ottani művész bolond lett a romantikátólThe artist there went crazy for Romanticism
- Az öcsém ma reggel hülye ötletekre keltMy brother woke up with crazy ideas this morning
- 90 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gábor and Éva are talking about a movie character.
- GáborEz a szereplő nagyon őrült.This character is very crazy.
- ÉvaIgen, ő egy teljesen őrült ember.Yes, he is a completely crazy person.
- GáborTudtam én, hogy őrült.I knew he was crazy.
- ÉvaA filmben is nagyon őrült volt.He was very crazy in the movie too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “crazy” translations and entries őrült, bolond, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bolond, őrült, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
