wahnsinnig
/ˈvaːnˌzɪnɪç/
The German word for insane is wahnsinnig.
wahnsinnig describes someone or something characterized by insanity or the utmost folly. Much like in English, it can also be used colloquially as an intensifier to mean 'extremely' or 'incredibly', such as when describing something as being incredibly expensive.
Meaning: characterized by insanity or the utmost folly (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The adjective wahnsinnig is derived from the noun Wahnsinn, which means madness or insanity.
Which one should you use?
While wahnsinnig implies a more severe or clinical level of madness, the word verrückt is the more common, everyday term used to mean 'crazy' or 'silly'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Schwabian dialect, Deppert can be used to mean 'insane' or 'stupid'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈvaːnˌzɪnɪç/
Did you know?
- The first part of wahnsinnig, the root Wahn, is related to the English word 'wane', as both stem from a Proto-Germanic root meaning 'to diminish' or 'to become empty'.
- The noun form Wahnsinn can also be used to express awe or amazement in a non-clinical way. A person might exclaim Der Wahnsinn! when seeing a beautiful sunset, similar to saying 'That is madness!' in English.
- In some contexts, saying someone is nicht ganz richtig im Kopf is a common euphemism used instead of wahnsinnig to avoid being too blunt.
Examples in context
- Er ist klar wahnsinnig.He is clearly insane.This sentence is useful for confirming that someone is clearly insane using wahnsinnig.Tatoeba #12295746 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #5699927 by Hybrid
- Er ist nicht wahnsinnig.He isn't insane.This sentence is useful for stating that someone is not insane using wahnsinnig.Tatoeba #12458153 by Waldelfe, translation #8479180 by CH
- „Bist du wahnsinnig?“ – „Jawohl!“"Are you insane?" "Yes."This sentence shows a conversational exchange using the question wahnsinnig.Tatoeba #11945595 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #11401965 by shekitten
- Die Ergebnisse sind einfach verrückt!The results are simply insane!
- Sein Verhalten ist wahnsinnig.His behavior is insane.
- Bist du verrückt geworden?Have you gone insane?
- Das ist doch total irre!That's totally insane!
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Maximilian are discussing a reckless driving maneuver they saw.
- JuliaDas war ein wahnsinniger Versuch!That was an insane attempt!
- MaximilianJa, der Fahrer ist völlig wahnsinnig.Yes, the driver is completely insane.
- JuliaDas ist doch wahnsinnig gefährlich.That is insanely dangerous.
- MaximilianStimmt, er ist wahnsinnig fahrlässig.True, he is insanely negligent.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry wahnsinnig, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries wahnsinnig, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
