Difference Between Crazy and Insane

Key Difference – Crazy vs Insane

The two words crazy and insane can be used interchangeably in most instances since they are synonyms. Both are similar to mad or mentally deranged. However, these two words are often used in different contexts;crazy is mostly used in informal speech whereas insane is more used in formal or legal contexts.This disparity in usage is the key difference between crazy and insane.

疯狂的意思是什么？

Crazy has the same meaning as mad. However, it can also mean several things such as foolishness and anger depending on the context.

Their silence was driving me crazy.

You are crazy to pay so much forthis dress.

My brother has been acting kind of crazy for weeks.

Are you crazy? What are you doing?

When crazy is used instead of madness or mentally deranged state, it usually refers to the wild and reckless behavior. For example,

她发疯了，袭击了母亲。

However, as stated in the introduction, crazy is most often used in informal contexts, particularly in spoken language.

Crazy can also refer to someone’s extreme enthusiasm for something. For example, if someone says that he is crazy about football, he is implying that he is extremely enthusiastic about football.

In American English, crazy is also used as a noun and an副词. This usage is also reserved for informal contexts.

Noun – A mad person

Adverb – Extremely

For example,

Get away from that crazy.

We’ve been crazy busy.

What Does Insane Mean?

Insane means mentally disordered or deranged. The Oxford dictionary defines insane as “a state of mind which prevents normalperception, behaviour, or social interaction; seriouslymentally ill”. The term insane is often used in formal or legal contexts. For example, the term ‘insanity defence’ in legalese comes from the word insane. If a person is found to be legally insane, he or she may not be guilty of the crime they have committed. The noun form of insane is insanity.

他的父母认为他疯了，并将他送往精神庇护。

Her eyes glowing with insane fury scared everyone.

The defendant was found to be insane.

In informal American English, insane is sometimes used as an adjective to mean shocking or outrageous.

He charged me an insane amount of money.

It’s insane that he was sent to prison for something he didn’t do.

What is the difference between Crazy and Insane?

Meaning:

Crazymeans mad, especially as manifested in wild or aggressivebehavior.

Insanerefers to a state of mind which prevents normal perception, behaviour, or social interaction.

Usage:

Crazyis often used in informal contexts, especially in everyday speech.

Insaneis more often used in formal and legal contexts.

Noun and Adverb:

Crazyis used as a noun and an adverb in informal American English.

Insaneis not used as a noun or an adverb.

Image Courtesy:

“Insane-stamp2” By Uzma Gamal (talk) 03:03, 17 March 2011 (UTC) – Derivative work from File:Insanestamp.png(CC BY-SA 3.0)viaCommons Wikimedia

“1396651” (Public Domain) viaPixabay