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mad
1[ mad ]
adjective
- mentally disturbed; deranged; insane; demented.
- enraged; greatly provoked or irritated; angry.
- (of animals)
- abnormally furious; ferocious:
a mad bull.
- affected with rabies; rabid:
a mad dog.
- extremely foolish or unwise; imprudent; irrational:
a mad scheme to invade France.
Synonyms: unsafe, perilous, dangerous, ill-advised
- wildly excited or confused; frantic:
mad haste.
Synonyms: frenzied
- overcome by desire, eagerness, enthusiasm, etc.; excessively or uncontrollably fond; infatuated:
He's mad about the opera.
- wildly lively and merry; enjoyably hilarious:
to have a mad time at the Mardi Gras.
- (of wind, storms, etc.) furious in violence:
A mad gale swept across the channel.
- Slang. much or many:
Mad props for getting this organization off the ground.
adverb
- Slang. very; extremely:
It's mad hot in this car.
verb (used with object)
- Archaic. to make mad.
verb (used without object)
- Archaic. to be, become, or act mad.
MAD
2[ mad ]
mad.
3abbreviation for
- madam.
mad
1/ mæd /
adjective
- mentally deranged; insane
- senseless; foolish
a mad idea
- informal.often foll by at angry; resentful
- foll byabout, on, or over; often postpositive wildly enthusiastic (about) or fond (of)
mad about football
football-mad
- extremely excited or confused; frantic
a mad rush
- temporarily overpowered by violent reactions, emotions, etc
mad with grief
- of animals
- unusually ferocious
a mad buffalo
- afflicted with rabies
- like mad informal.with great energy, enthusiasm, or haste; wildly
- mad as a hattercrazily eccentric
verb
- archaic.to make or become mad; act or cause to act as if mad
MAD
2/ mæd /
acronym for
- mutual assured destruction: a theory of nuclear deterrence whereby each side in a conflict has the capacity to destroy the other in retaliation for a nuclear attack
Usage Note
Derived Forms
- ˈmaddish, adjective
Other Words From
- half-mad adjective
- half-mad·ly adverb
- half-mad·ness noun
- qua·si-mad adjective
- qua·si-mad·ly adverb
- un·mad adjective
- un·mad·ded adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of mad1
Word History and Origins
Origin of mad1
Idioms and Phrases
- have a mad on, Informal. to be angry for a period of time; be in a bad mood:
The last time he had a mad on, it lasted for days.
- like mad, Informal. with great haste, impulsiveness, energy, or enthusiasm:
She ran like mad to catch the bus.
- mad as a hatter, completely insane.
More idioms and phrases containing mad
- crazy (mad) about
- drive someone crazy (mad)
- hopping mad
- like crazy (mad)
- stark raving mad
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
When he has called the police in the past, they have not responded, or responded “mad late.”
From righteous fury to faux indignation, everything we got mad about in 2014—and how outrage has taken over our lives.
The house decays around Amelia and Samuel, their world narrows and becomes mad, undealable with.
We fight over their ownership and control, as if reality were a resource as scarce as the water and oil in Mad Max.
This year's shockers: no Amy Poehler, nothing for 'Mad Men,' and a whole lot of love for virgins and transgenders.
Then she won, and went half mad with the joy and excitement, but the joy didn't last long.
Mankind, mad with the energy of activity, would be seen to pursue the fleeing phantom of insatiable desire.
Irene's been down to the train to meet you three times and she's sure fighting mad by this time.
Your mad career generally ended in a crowd and a free fight of confetti.
Some who would face a mad bull coolly enough spring with disgust from a cockroach or a centipede.
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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.
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