sane

/seɪn/

/seɪn/

Other forms: saner; sanest

A sane person doesn't have any screws loose — in other words, they're free of mental illness and in a reasonable state of mind.

You probably know that the word insane means crazy. Well, the opposite of insane is sane — or not crazy. A sane person is of sound mind and is mentally healthy. Sane people have good judgment, are reasonable, and can tell the difference between what's real and imagined. Whenever someone commits a crime or does something totally outlandish, people usually wonder if they're sane or not.

Definitions of sane

1. adjective

   mentally healthy; free from mental disorder
   “appears to be completely sane”

   synonyms:

   rational

   consistent with or based on or using reason

   compos mentis, of sound mind

   of sound mind, memory, and understanding; in law, competent to go to trial

   in her right mind, in his right mind, in their right minds

   behaving responsibly

   lucid

   having a clear mind

   antonyms:

   insane

   afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement

   irrational

   not consistent with or using reason

   unreasonable

   not reasonable; not showing good judgment

   amok, amuck, berserk, demoniac, demoniacal, possessed

   frenzied as if possessed by a demon

   around the bend, balmy, barmy, bats, batty, bonkers, buggy, cracked, crackers, daft, dotty, fruity, haywire, kookie, kooky, loco, loony, loopy, nuts, nutty, round the bend, wacky, whacky

   informal or slang terms for mentally irregular

   brainsick, crazy, demented, disturbed, mad, sick, unbalanced, unhinged

   affected with madness or insanity

   certifiable, certified

   fit to be certified as insane (and treated accordingly)

   crackbrained, idiotic

   insanely irresponsible

   crazed, deranged, half-crazed

   driven insane

   fey, touched

   slightly insane

   hebephrenic

   suffering from a form of schizophrenia characterized by foolish mannerisms and senseless laughter along with delusions and regressive behavior

   lunatic, moonstruck

   insane and believed to be affected by the phases of the moon

   maniac, maniacal

   wildly disordered

   manic-depressive

   suffering from a disorder characterized by alternating mania and depression

   maniclike

   resembling the mania of manic-depressive illness

   mentally ill, unsound, unstable

   suffering from severe mental illness

   non compos mentis, of unsound mind

   not of sound mind, memory, or understanding; in law, not competent to go to trial

   paranoid

   suffering from paranoia

   psychopathic, psychopathologic, psychopathological

   suffering from an undiagnosed mental disorder

   psychotic

   characteristic of or suffering from psychosis

   raving mad, wild

   talking or behaving irrationally

   schizophrenic

   suffering from some form of schizophrenia

   screw-loose, screwy

   not behaving normally
2. adjective

   marked by sound judgment
   “sane nuclear policy”

   synonyms: reasonable

   rational

   consistent with or based on or using reason