madman
Americannoun
-
madmen
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of madman
First recorded in 1300–50, madman is from Middle English madd man. See mad, man
Explanation
Madman is an old fashioned, derogatory term for a severely mentally ill person. These days, calling someone with a serious psychiatric illness a madman would be offensive. You're most likely to hear dangerous criminals described as madmen, although it's also common to use this word for someone who acts recklessly: "Look how fast that madman is driving!" Another way to use madman is to emphasize the intensity of something: "She worked on that paper like a madman, writing the entire thing in just a few hours."
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.
See Examples For:
Supporters love the "madman theory" for its ability to keep opponents off guard and pull off previously unthinkable achievements.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026
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
Almost always described as a “disappointed job seeker,” Guiteau was a madman, and Mr. Macfadyen’s portrayal is of both man and madness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 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
Yossarian had no idea who he was and just took it for granted that he was either another doctor or another madman.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
He’d minnowed through sunburned madmen on winding Alpine passes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
He said by telephone that the arrests this week showed “that Myanmar is ruled by madmen and cowards.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 23, 2023
“My kid’s living on the coast, in town right now, so he can be safe from these armed madmen running around,” said Willow Creek grower Walter Wood.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2023
There are few more efficient ways to unleash the demons, madmen, and ghosts hidden in the darkest crevices of the human psyche than to inject anxiety into our imaginations.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2022
They spilled the contents right at our door and left, guffawing like madmen.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
