mad

¹ American  

[mad] / mæd /

adjective

COMPARATIVE

madder

SUPERLATIVE

maddest

1. mentally disturbed; deranged; insane; demented.

   Synonyms:

   crazy , crazed , maniacal , lunatic

2. enraged; greatly provoked or irritated; angry.

   Synonyms:

   irate , wrathful , furious

3. (of animals)

   1. abnormally furious; ferocious.

      a mad bull.

   2. affected with rabies; rabid.

      a mad dog.

4. extremely foolish or unwise; imprudent; irrational.

   a mad scheme to invade France.

   Synonyms:

   perilous , dangerous , unsafe , ill-advised

   Antonyms:

   safe , sound , practical , sensible

5. wildly excited or confused; frantic.

   mad haste.

   Synonyms:

   frenzied

6. overcome by desire, eagerness, enthusiasm, etc.; excessively or uncontrollably fond; infatuated.

   He's mad about the opera.

7. wildly lively and merry; enjoyably hilarious.

   to have a mad time at the Mardi Gras.

8. (of wind, storms, etc.) furious in violence.

   A mad gale swept across the channel.

9. Slang.  much or many.

   Mad props for getting this organization off the ground.

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adverb

1. Slang.  very; extremely.

   It's mad hot in this car.

verb (used with object)

madded, madding

1. Archaic.  to make mad.

verb (used without object)

madded, madding

1. Archaic.  to be, become, or act mad.

idioms

1. like mad,  with great haste, impulsiveness, energy, or enthusiasm.

   She ran like mad to catch the bus.

2. have a mad on,  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.

3. mad as a hatter,  completely insane.

MAD ² American  

[mad] / mæd /

noun

1. Mutual Assured Destruction.

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mad. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. madam.

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mad ¹ British  

/ mæd /

adjective

1. mentally deranged; insane

2. senseless; foolish

   a mad idea

3. informal  (often foll by at) angry; resentful

4. wildly enthusiastic (about) or fond (of)

   mad about football

   football-mad

5. extremely excited or confused; frantic

   a mad rush

6. temporarily overpowered by violent reactions, emotions, etc

   mad with grief

7. 1. unusually ferocious

      a mad buffalo

   2. afflicted with rabies

8. informal  with great energy, enthusiasm, or haste; wildly

9. crazily eccentric

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verb

1. archaic  to make or become mad; act or cause to act as if mad

MAD ² British  

/ mæd /

acronym

1. 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

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mad More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing mad

• crazy (mad) about
• drive someone crazy (mad)
• hopping mad
• like crazy (mad)
• stark raving mad

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Usage

Mad meaning “enraged, angry” has been used since 1400, and this sense is a very common one. Because some teachers and usage critics insist that the only correct meaning of mad is “mentally disturbed, insane,” mad is often replaced by angry in formal contexts: The president is angry at Congress for overriding his veto.

Related Words

Mad, crazy, insane are used to characterize wildly impractical or foolish ideas, actions, etc. Mad suggests senselessness and excess: The scheme of buying the bridge was absolutely mad. In informal usage, crazy suggests recklessness and impracticality: a crazy young couple. Insane is used with some opprobrium to express unsoundness and possible harmfulness: The new traffic system is simply insane.

Other Word Forms

• half-mad adjective
• half-madly adverb
• half-madness noun
• maddish adjective
• quasi-mad adjective
• quasi-madly adverb
• unmad adjective
• unmadded adjective

Etymology

Origin of mad

First recorded before 900; Middle English mad (adjective), madden (intransitive verb, derivative of the adjective); Old English gemǣd “made mad,” past participle of gemǣdan (unrecorded) “to make mad,” akin to gemād “mad, foolish”; cognate with Old Saxon gemēd, Old High German gimeit “foolish”

Example Sentences

He reminds us that two notorious winds, the mistral and the bora, have been known to drive men mad.

From The Wall Street Journal

“At certain times each one of us went mad, but the other three could bring us back.”

From Los Angeles Times

No one else in the sport’s recent history has possessed such a knack for driving fans, administrators and executives completely mad.

From The Wall Street Journal

Contemporary Chandler gets mad, Monica puts a turkey on her head to woo him back and Chandler says he loves her for the first time.

From Los Angeles Times

She had been present during the immigration sweeps, and was still mad at herself for not doing more to stop agents from taking her co-workers.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• crazy
• delirious
• demented
• deranged
• frantic
• frenzied
• insane
• kooky
• nutty