noun / adjective
crank
A person holding eccentric or unreasonable beliefs.
They dismiss him as a crank for his outlandish beliefs.
Etymology
Crank developed figurative associations with being crooked or mentally out of the ordinary. The person sense applies that departure from the usual course to eccentric opinions or unreasonable convictions.
More examples
- The article promotes a crank theory about the moon.
- She refuses to debate cranks who deny basic scientific facts.
- His neighbors consider him a harmless crank.
Forms
crank · cranks