1
the insanity of doing sth
指某种行为或情况的荒谬、疯狂。
The insanity of working 80 hours a week finally convinced him to quit.
每周工作80小时的疯狂最终让他决定辞职。
精神错乱；精神病；疯狂
insanities — plural of insanity
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
精神错乱；精神病；疯狂
a relatively permanent disorder of the mind
The insanity of working 80 hours a week finally convinced him to quit.
每周工作80小时的疯狂最终让他决定辞职。
精神错乱的状态；疯狂。
The state of being insane; madness.
相对持久的精神障碍
relatively permanent disorder of the mind
After years of stress, his insanity became impossible to ignore.
经过多年的压力，他的精神错乱变得无法忽视。
The novel tells the story of a woman whose insanity changes her whole family's life.
这部小说讲述了一个女人因精神错乱而改变整个家庭生活的故事。
Many people in the past believed that insanity was caused by evil spirits.
过去许多人认为精神错乱是由邪灵引起的。
指某种行为或情况的荒谬、疯狂。
The insanity of working 80 hours a week finally convinced him to quit.
每周工作80小时的疯狂最终让他决定辞职。
法律用语，指被告声称自己精神失常以免于刑事责任。
The lawyer advised him to plead insanity.
律师建议他以精神错乱为由申辩。
比 drive sb crazy 更正式，强调达到精神失常的程度。
The constant noise from the construction site drove her to insanity.
建筑工地持续不断的噪音逼得她快要发疯。
Not this
He is an insanity person.
Use this
He is an insane person.
insanity 是名词，不能作定语修饰 person；表示“疯狂的”应用形容词 insane。
Not this
He behaved insanity.
Use this
He behaved insanely.
behaved 是动词，需要副词修饰；insanity 是名词，应改用副词 insanely。
Not this
She was suffering from an insanity.
Use this
She was suffering from insanity.
insanity 表示“精神错乱”的状态时是不可数名词，通常不加不定冠词，因此应去掉 an。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
以精神错乱为由申辩
The lawyer advised him to plead insanity.
律师建议他以精神错乱为由进行申辩。
精神错乱抗辩
The murder trial centered on the insanity defense.
这起谋杀案的审判围绕精神错乱抗辩展开。
暂时性精神错乱
She claimed temporary insanity during the incident.
她声称事发时处于暂时性精神错乱状态。
十足的疯狂
Driving at that speed in the rain is sheer insanity.
在雨中开那么快简直是十足的疯狂。
犯罪性精神错乱
The court ruled that he was suffering from criminal insanity.
法院判定他患有犯罪性精神错乱。
陷入疯狂
The character slowly descends into insanity throughout the novel.
这个角色在小说中逐渐陷入疯狂。
疯狂的定义；重复做同样的事却期待不同结果
My coach kept yelling the same play, and I thought, isn't that the definition of insanity?
我的教练一直喊着同一个战术，我想，这不就是疯狂的定义吗？
暂时性精神失常；一时冲动失去理智
He claimed temporary insanity when he quit his job and moved to the beach.
他辞职搬到海边时，自称是一时冲动（暂时性精神失常）。
精神失常抗辩；以精神疾病为由的辩护
The lawyer decided to use an insanity defense, which surprised everyone in the courtroom.
律师决定采用精神失常抗辩，这让法庭上的每个人都感到意外。
疯狂就是一遍又一遍地做同一件事，却期待不同的结果。
People often quote Albert Einstein when they repeat this definition of insanity.
人们常引用爱因斯坦的名言来复述这个对疯狂的定义。
天才与疯狂之间只有一线之隔。
Biographers often write about the line between genius and insanity in his life.
传记作家常写他一生中天才与疯狂之间一线之隔的事。
Use insanities naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
把 insanity 拆成 in + sanity：sanity 是心智健全，in- 表否定，失去 sanity 就是精神错乱、疯狂。
语域：formal 常见场景：法律文书、医学诊断 此义指医学或法律上认定的精神错乱，通常多用于正式文书、法律辩护或专业讨论，日常口语中较少这样用。
与 insanity 真正同韵的词均有 /ˈænəti/ 结尾，如 sanity、vanity、humanity、profanity。注意 insane /ɪnˈseɪn/ 是形近词，但发音不同，不构成韵脚。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.