different between preposterous vs crazy

English

Alternative forms

• præposterous (archaic)

Etymology

From Latin praeposterus (“with the hinder part before, reversed, inverted, perverted”), from prae (“before”) + posterus (“coming after”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p???p?st???s/, /p???p?st??s/, /p??-/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /p???p?st???s/, /p???p?st??s/

Adjective

preposterous (comparative more preposterous, superlative most preposterous)

1. Absurd, or contrary to common sense.
   • 2016 January 30, "America deserves more from presidential hopefuls," The National (retrieved 31 January 2016):

     Democrats, too, must be criticised. While they have not made preposterous statements or been threatening or demagogic, they, all too often, have come up short, failing to propose new ideas that can help unwind conflicts raging across the Middle East.

Synonyms

• absurd
• foolish
• irrational
• nonsensical
• See also Thesaurus:absurd

Translations

See also

• topsy-turvy
• upside down

Further reading

• preposterous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• preposterous in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

English

Etymology

From craze +? -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?e?zi/
• Rhymes: -e?zi

Adjective

crazy (comparative crazier, superlative craziest)

1. (obsolete) Flawed or damaged; unsound, liable to break apart; ramshackle. [16th–19th c.]
   • 1789, John Moore, Zeluco, Valancourt 2008, p. 203:

     Buchanan shewed her into a room adjoining to Mr. Steele's dressing-room, and separated from it by a very crazy partition.

   • 1816, Francis Jeffrey, "Memoirs of Madame de Larochejaquelein", in The Edinburgh Review February 1816

     They […] got a crazy boat to carry them to the island.
2. (obsolete) Sickly, frail; diseased. [16th–19th c.]
   • 1663, Samuel Butler, Hudibras

     Over moist and crazy brains.

   • One of great riches, but a crazy constitution.

   • c. 1793, Edward Gibbon, Memoirs, Penguin 1990, p. 61:

     My poor aunt has often told me […] how long she herself was apprehensive lest my crazy frame, which is now of common shape, should remain for ever crooked and deformed.

3. Of unsound mind; insane, demented. [from 17th c.]

4. Out of control.

5. Very excited or enthusiastic.
   • 1864, R. B. Kimball, Was He Successful?

     The girls were crazy to be introduced to him.

6. In love; experiencing romantic feelings.

7. (informal) Very unexpected; wildly surprising.

Synonyms

• Thesaurus:insane
• (out of control): off the chain, nutso
• (insane; lunatic; demented): deranged, loco, nutso, zany

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

crazy (comparative more crazy, superlative most crazy)

1. (slang) Very, extremely.

Translations

Noun

crazy (countable and uncountable, plural crazies)

1. An insane or eccentric person; a crackpot.
   • 2011 Allen Gregory, "Pilot" (season 1, episode 1):

     Allen Gregory DeLongpre: Now drink up, you knuckleheads! Have a blast! It's our night, you crazies! Chloe, where are you?

2. (slang, uncountable) Eccentric behaviour; lunacy.

Synonyms

• (insane or eccentric person): lunatic, mad man, nut ball, nut case, nutso, psychopath

Translations

See also

• crazy on Wikipedia.Wikipedia