madman
Americannoun
plural
madmennoun
Etymology
Origin of madman
First recorded in 1300–50, madman is from Middle English madd man. See mad, man
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To establish the right note of terror on a fog-strewn set by Arnulfo Maldonado that resembles the private chamber of a writer or madman, Page begins with Lady Macbeth’s chilling incantation.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2026
“I knew the second that I poked my head up from my exile, I was probably going to be met by some madman charging at me with an ax,” Nuzzi said in an interview.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025
But heavy metal’s favorite madman leaves us with his reminder that “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll.”
From Slate • Jul. 25, 2025
His unpredictability is sometimes portrayed by his supporters after the fact as strategic - the so-called "madman" theory of foreign relations.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2025
Emily clapped both hands over her mouth and completely forgot there had been a madman book collector on the hunt for them.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
