delusion / craze
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delusion
A pathological, uncorrectable belief or idea that contradicts reality and of which a person is firmly convinced. A symptom of mental illness.
Der Patient leidet unter dem Wahn, von Außerirdischen verfolgt zu werden.
The patient suffers from the delusion of being followed by aliens.
craze
An exaggerated, senseless idea or an extreme enthusiasm for something that outsiders perceive as irrational.
Dieser ganze Fitness-Wahn in den sozialen Medien ist doch übertrieben.
This whole fitness craze on social media is really over the top.
sheer madness
A fixed expression used to say that something is completely crazy, unbelievable, or chaotic. Synonymous with 'der reine Wahnsinn' (sheer madness).
Drei Stunden im Stau zu stehen, das ist ja der helle Wahn!
Being stuck in traffic for three hours—that's sheer madness!
'Der Wahn' (the delusion) is the root of 'der Wahnsinn' (madness) and 'wahnsinnig' (insane / incredibly). While 'Wahn' describes a specific, often pathological idea, 'Wahnsinn' is the general state or a colloquial exaggeration for something crazy.
Sein Glaube, er könne fliegen, war reiner Wahn.
His belief that he could fly was pure delusion.
You can recognize the medical meaning (m01) from verbs like 'leiden an' (to suffer from) in a psychological context. The colloquial meaning (m02) often refers to exaggerated trends and frequently appears in compound words.
Der Patient leidet an Verfolgungswahn.
The patient suffers from paranoia.
In the colloquial meaning, 'Wahn' (craze) is often used as the second part of nouns to criticize an exaggerated fashion or obsession. Typical examples are 'Jugendwahn' (obsession with youth), 'Schönheitswahn' (beauty craze), or 'Kontrollwahn' (control mania).
Sie macht bei diesem ganzen Diät-Wahn nicht mit.
She doesn't take part in this whole diet craze.
The expression 'der helle Wahn' (sheer madness) is a fixed expression used as an exclamation of disbelief or annoyance. It means something like 'that's absolutely crazy!'.
Fünf Euro für eine Kugel Eis? Das ist ja der helle Wahn!
Five euros for a scoop of ice cream? That's sheer madness!
madness / amazing
Wahnsinn and Wahn can both make something seem completely irrational. Wahnsinn usually refers to an extremely unreasonable action or situation, while Wahn typically means a person's fixed belief that contradicts reality. Use Wahnsinn for the action or situation, and Wahn for the uncorrectable idea behind it.
Sein Wahn, das Meer allein beherrschen zu können, ließ ihn die Warnung ignorieren.
His delusion that he could control the sea on his own made him ignore the warning.
Trotz der Sturmwarnung ohne Schutz aufs Meer zu fahren, wäre Wahnsinn.
Going out to sea without protection despite the storm warning would be madness.
