craze · noun — A strong habitual desire or fancy. It carries an Arena rating of 1462, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, craze ranks #515 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words, #702 of 17,180 for Most Ingenious Words, #2,159 of 17,162 for Most Elegant Words, #2,667 of 17,197 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
craze is pronounced /kɹeɪz/.
Why “craze” is a great word
A widespread, intense, but typically short-lived enthusiasm for or interest in a particular activity, object, or idea. From Middle English crasen ('to crush, break to pieces'), from Old Norse *krasa ('to shatter'), an imitative word, first attested as a noun meaning 'a flaw or infirmity' in the early 16th century. Unlike a fad, with its sneer of triviality, or a trend, with its smooth analytical curve, a craze is a feverish, seismic break—a shattering of ordinary judgment. It is the tulip bulbs sold for the price of houses, the frantic scratch of a million pogoing feet, and the brittle crackle of a dance floor chasing a fleeting high—a brief, collective madness that leaves only the faint, glittering dust of a broken obsession.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Middle English crasen (“to crush, break, break to pieces, shatter, craze”), from Old Norse *krasa (“to shatter”), ultimately imitative. Cognate with Scots krass (“to crush, squeeze, wrinkle”), Icelandic krasa (“to crackle”), Norwegian krasa (“to shatter, crush”), Swedish krasa (“to crack, crackle”), Danish krase (“to crack, crackle”), Faroese kras (“small pieces”).
noun
- A strong habitual desire or fancy.
- A temporary passion or infatuation, as for some new amusement, pursuit, or fashion; a fad.e.g.“Have you heard about the new dance craze? / Listen to us, I'm sure you'll be amazed / Big fun to be had by everyone / It's up to you, it surely can be done” — 1978 September 21, Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers, “Le Freak”, in C'est Chic, performed by Chic, track 2:
- A crack in the glaze or enamel caused by exposure of the pottery to great or irregular heat.
- Craziness; insanity.e.g.“‘A poor fellow with a craze, sir,’ said Mr. Dick, ‘a simpleton, a weak-minded person […] may do what wonderful people may not do. […]’” — 1849 May – 1850 November, Charles Dickens, The Personal History of David Copperfield, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1850, →OCLC:
verb
- To weaken; to impair; to render decrepit.
- To derange the intellect of; to render insane.e.g.“any man […] that is crazed and out of his wits” — 1664, John Tillotson, “Sermon I. The Wisdom of Being Religious. Job XXVIII. 28.”, in The Works of the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson, Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: […], London: […] B. Aylmer,
- To be crazed, or to act or appear as one that is crazed; to rave; to become insane.e.g.“And if Robin should be cast / Sudden from his turfed grave, / And if Marian should have / Once again her forest days, / She would weep and he would craze: [...]” — 1820, John Keats, “Robin Hood”, in Lamia, Isabella, the Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Taylor and Hessey, […], →OCLC, page 135:
- To break into pieces; to crush; to grind to powder. See crase.
- To crack, as the glazing of porcelain or pottery.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.