Crossword Dictionary
non compos mentis
adjective Latin.
Not of sound mind; mentally incapable of managing one's affairs.
SYNONYMS
demented, lunatic, non compos, unbalanced, unsound
EXAMPLES:
‘Abbigail had never allowed him to get this close to her, except when she was non compos mentis – stone cold drunk.’
‘While Walter’s friends were found guilty of harassing and assaulting a fellow student, Walter was non compos mentis at...’
‘Having ruled that Betty was non compos mentis, the judge paved the way for her family to admit her to a mental hospital.’
‘The court found that Robert – who suffered from bipolar disorder – was non compos mentis, and could not be put on trial...’
unbalance
unbalance - v
throw out of balance or equilibrium; "The tax relief unbalanced the budget"; "The prima donna unbalances the smooth work in our department"
To unbalance is to make unsteady or uneven. A sudden gust of wind might unbalance you when you're on a sailboat — don't forget to wear a life jacket!
Throw something off balance, and you unbalance it. Tickling someone who's in a one-legged yoga stance will unbalance them, and leaning too far to one side will unbalance a new bike rider. You can also call this state of being out of kilter or wobbly unbalance: "The unbalance of the tightrope walker made me glad there was a net underneath him!" And figuratively, unbalance can also mean "disturb or upset."