loony bin
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A lunatic asylum.
Register: derogatory, slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
And perhaps, of course, her dreams had seemed more real to other people, too, than life could be—there was always that impossibility, more real than anything which seemed merely possible—at least in this old house by the roaring waves, this loony bin.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “loony bin” mean?
A lunatic asylum.
Is “loony bin” formal or informal?
loony bin is generally derogatory, slang.