nuts means insane, mad. It carries an Arena rating of 1617, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, nuts ranks #912 of 14,952 for Most Malleable Words, #2,153 of 14,954 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #2,309 of 15,164 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,377 of 15,218 for Most Whimsical Words.
nuts is pronounced /nʌts/.
Why “nuts” is a great word
A state of crazed irrationality or fervent, all-consuming enthusiasm. Its etymology stems from the slang phrase 'to be nuts on' (meaning 'to be very fond of'), first attested circa 1785, likely an extension of the noun 'nut' in the sense of 'head' or 'source of obsession.' Unlike "mad," which carries clinical or tragic weight, or "enthusiastic," which suggests measured zeal, "nuts" denotes a delightful or deranged abandonment of reason. It is the collector who has filled seventeen rooms with vintage bottles, the lover who waits in the rain for three hours, the gambler who believes the next roll will restore it all—the particular, warm, and slightly cracked madness of the human heart when it latches onto something with teeth and will not let go.
adj
- Insane, mad.e.g.“After living on the island alone for five years, he eventually went nuts.”
- Crazy, mad; unusually pleased or, alternatively, angered.e.g.“I just go nuts over her fantastic desserts.”
- Very fond of (on) someone.e.g.“He's been nuts on her since the day they met.”
intj
- Indicates annoyance, anger, or disappointment.e.g.“Nuts! They didn't even listen to what I had to say.”
- Signifies rejection of a proposal or idea, as in forget it, no way, or nothing doing; often followed by to.e.g.“They want me to pay $5 for a banana? Nuts to that!”
noun
- The testicles.
- An unbeatable hand; the best poker hand available.e.g.“If the board is 237QA, all of spades, the nuts is 45 of spades.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.