unhinge
un-HINJ
/ʌnˈhɪndʒ/
To make someone mentally unbalanced; to take a door off its hinges.
Usually used metaphorically to describe someone losing their mind or becoming very upset.
The story behind the word. Literally to take a door off its hinges. If a door is unhinged, it is no longer attached to its frame and cannot function properly.
Word relationships
- derange: Derange is more formal and sounds more like a medical condition; unhinge is more descriptive and literary.
- stabilize: To make something steady or unlikely to change.
Commonly confused with
- unsettle: Unsettle means to make someone nervous; unhinge is much stronger, implying a total loss of stability.
Word family
- unhinged (adjective): Mentally unbalanced or unstable.
Collocations
- completely unhinge
- unhinge the mind
- become unhinged
Idioms & expressions
- unhinged (adjective)
Example sentences
- "The isolation of the lighthouse began to unhinge the young sailor's mind." Psychological Thriller
- "We had to unhinge the heavy oak door to move the piano into the room." Physical
Memory hook
Un-Hinge: A door without a 'Hinge' is unstable and falls over. Off the rails.
When not to use
Avoid using it in medical contexts to describe mental illness; it is considered informal and potentially insensitive.
Fun facts
- The metaphorical use of 'unhinge' for the mind dates back to the early 1700s.
Related words
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