Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| сумасше́дший | sumasšédšij | |
| безу́мный | bezúmnyj | |
| умалишённый | umališónnyj | [ʊməlʲɪˈʂonːɨj] (narrow) |
| поме́шанный | poméšannyj | |
| чо́кнутый | čóknutyj | |
| спя́тивший | spjátivšij | |
| неадеква́тный | neadɛkvátnyj | |
| ошале́вший | ošalévšij | |
| ненорма́льный | nenormálʹnyj |
Russian offers various terms for "crazy" depending on whether you are describing clinical insanity, intense emotions, social behavior or using slang. While сумасше́дший is a standard term for someone who is mad or insane, неадеква́тный is commonly used in modern Russian to describe someone behaving irrationally or socially inappropriately. If you want to describe someone as being extremely or intensely crazy, you might use the adverbs обалде́нно or офиге́нно.
What does it mean word for word?
The word сумасше́дший literally means "one whose mind has gone". It is composed of the prefix с- (away/with), the root ум (mind) and the suffix -аше́дший (having gone/departed).
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on the nuance of the craziness. сумасше́дший often refers to clinical insanity. In contrast, безу́мный is frequently used to describe intense, overwhelming emotions or "mad" actions, such as "mad love" or "frenzied speed." The form спя́тивший is a past active participle used to describe someone who has suddenly "lost it" or started acting strangely. чо́кнутый implies being "nuts" or "kooky," whereas неадеква́тный focuses on a lack of social adequacy or irrationality.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a formal way to say crazy, use безу́мный. The term сумасше́дший is versatile and can be used in both formal and informal contexts. For colloquial or less clinical settings, use чо́кнутый to mean "nuts." In very informal or slang contexts, you can use the noun псих to describe a person as a "psycho" or "nutcase."
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word сумасше́дший functions as both an adjective (describing a crazy person) and a noun (referring to a madman). The word псих is a noun used to describe a person's mental state or psychological condition. The word спя́тивший is a past active participle.
How do you pronounce it?
sumasšédšij
Did you know?
- The word умалишённый is not just a description of madness, but a literal statement that a person has been 'deprived of mind'.
- The term ошале́вший can describe both a person who has gone mad and a person who is simply 'stupefied' or 'stunned' by a sudden event.
- The word псих is an abbreviation of психопа́т, but in daily speech, it is used as a generic label for anyone acting temperamental or erratic.
Examples in context
- Я думаю, его решение было безумным.I think his decision was crazy.
- Этот фильм был безумно смешным!This movie was insanely funny!
- Он сумасшедший, если думает, что это хорошая идея.He's crazy if he thinks it's a good idea.
- Не общайся с ним, он настоящий псих.Don't talk to him, he's a real crazy person.
- Ну ты отмороженный! Как можно прыгать с такой высоты?You're crazy! How can you jump from such a height?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “crazy” translations and entries умалишённый, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries умалишённый, CC BY-SA 4.0.
