How to Say “Crazy” in Russian

Ways to say it

Russian has many ways to describe someone as insane, demented or acting irrationally. While some terms refer to clinical insanity, others describe irrational, unpredictable or socially inappropriate behavior, such as неадеква́тный. To express the action of losing one's mind or going crazy, the standard verbal phrase is с ума сойти́.

Which one should you use?

The choice of word depends on your intended meaning: сумасше́дший refers to clinical or literal insanity, whereas безу́мный is often used more poetically or figuratively to mean 'mad' or 'extreme', such as in the context of 'mad love'. Чо́кнутый is used to describe someone as wacky or nutty, and неадеква́тный describes someone acting in an irrational or socially inappropriate manner.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

For a formal way to describe someone who is extremely wild, furious or frenzied, use Неистовый. In casual conversation, чо́кнутый is a colloquial way to say someone is 'nuts' or 'crazy'. If you are using slang to refer to a person who is mentally unstable or acting crazy, you can use the noun псих.

Related words

Very, extremely (adv): обалде́нно, офиге́нно.

An insane or eccentric person (noun): сумасше́дший, поме́шанный, псих.

How does it change in a sentence?

The word сумасше́дший is versatile and can function as both an adjective and a noun (meaning 'a madman').

How do you pronounce it?

sumasšédšij