adjectiveadverb

wahnsinnig

insanely · insane · crazy

Jemand, der sich sehr ungewöhnlich oder ohne klare Vernunft verhält, oder etwas, das extrem stark oder beeindruckend ist.

Definition & meaning

Wahnsinnig is an adjective meaning insane, mad, or mentally deranged in its literal sense.

It is also very common in colloquial German as an intensifier meaning extremely, incredibly, or enormously. In this use, it does not imply actual mental illness.

literal: „Er ist wahnsinnig.“ = “He is insane.”
intensifying: „Das ist wahnsinnig teuer.“ = “That is incredibly expensive.”
positive or enthusiastic: „Das war wahnsinnig schön.“ = “That was incredibly beautiful.”

Depending on context, it can express admiration, surprise, annoyance, or exaggeration.

Grammar & Word origin

is an adjective and can also be used adverbially.

Attributive: „ein wahnsinniger Lärm“ = “an incredible amount of noise”
Predicative: „Der Lärm ist wahnsinnig.“ = “The noise is insane.”
Adverbial: „Sie läuft wahnsinnig schnell.“ = “She runs incredibly fast.”

Forms:

Comparative: wahnsinniger
Superlative: am wahnsinnigsten

The word consists of Wahn , meaning “delusion,” “madness,” or “illusion,” and -sinnig , related to Sinn , meaning “sense” or “mind.” Literally, it originally referred to someone whose mind was affected by delusion. The noun der Wahnsinn means “madness” or, colloquially, “something amazing.”

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

verrückt — “crazy” or “insane”; more everyday and often less formal.
irrsinnig — “mad,” “absurd,” or “incredibly”; close in meaning, but often stronger or more dramatic.
geisteskrank — “mentally ill”; more literal and potentially insensitive, so it is not normally used as a casual intensifier.
unglaublich — “incredible” or “unbelievable”; a good synonym when wahnsinnig is used to mean “extremely.”
extrem — “extreme”; neutral and more precise, without the emotional or colloquial tone of wahnsinnig.

Antonyms

vernünftig — “sensible” or “reasonable,” opposed to the literal sense of being insane or irrational.
normal — “normal,” opposed to the idea of something being abnormal or extreme.
maßvoll — “moderate” or “restrained,” opposed to the intensifying sense of wahnsinnig.
gering — “low” or “small,” sometimes opposed to wahnsinnig when it means “extremely great.”

Common phrases & collocations

wahnsinnig werden — to go insane
jemanden wahnsinnig machen — to drive someone crazy
wahnsinnig gut — incredibly good
wahnsinnig schnell — incredibly fast
wahnsinnig teuer — incredibly expensive
ein wahnsinniger Erfolg — an enormous or incredible success
Wahnsinn! — “Amazing!”, “Incredible!”, or “This is crazy!”, depending on context