madder¹

[mad-er]

See more synonyms for madder on Thesaurus.com

noun

any plant of the genus Rubia, especially the climbing R. tinctorum, of Europe, having open clusters of small, yellowish flowers.Compare madder family.
the root of this plant, formerly used in dyeing.
the dye or coloring matter itself.

a color produced by such a dye.

Origin of madder¹

before 1000; Middle English mad(d)er, Old English mæd(e)re; cognate with Old Norse mathra, Old High German matara

madder²

[mad-er]

adjective

comparative of mad.

Can be confusedmadder matter

mad

[mad]

adjective, mad·der, mad·dest.

mentally disturbed; deranged; insane; demented.
enraged; greatly provoked or irritated; angry.
(of animals)
1. abnormally furious; ferocious: a mad bull.
2. affected with rabies; rabid: a mad dog.
extremely foolish or unwise; imprudent; irrational: a mad scheme to invade France.
wildly excited or confused; frantic: mad haste.
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.

noun

an angry or ill-tempered period, mood, or spell: The last time he had a mad on, it lasted for days.

verb (used with object), mad·ded, mad·ding.

Archaic. to make mad.

verb (used without object), mad·ded, mad·ding.

Archaic. to be, become, or act mad.

Idioms

like mad, Informal. with great haste, impulsiveness, energy, or enthusiasm: She ran like mad to catch the bus.
mad as a hatter, completely insane.

Origin of mad

before 900; Middle English mad (adj.), madden (intransitive v., derivative of the adj.); Old English gemǣd(e)d, past participle of *gemǣdan to make mad, akin to gemād mad, foolish; cognate with Old Saxon gemēd, Old High German gimeit foolish

Related formshalf-mad, adjectivehalf-mad·ly, adverbhalf-mad·ness, nounqua·si-mad, adjectivequa·si-mad·ly, adverbun·mad, adjectiveun·mad·ded, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for mad on Thesaurus.com

1. lunatic, maniacal, crazed, crazy. 2. furious, exasperated, raging, wrathful, irate. 4. ill-advised; unsafe, dangerous, perilous. 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. 5. frenzied.

Antonyms

4. sensible, practical; sound, safe.

Usage note

Mad meaning “enraged, angry” has been used since 1300, 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for madder

Contemporary Examples

Late last week, McDonough assured us that Obama is “madder than hell” about the VA fiasco.
The Scandal at the VA Is Real, and Obama Is Ducking It
Ron Christie
May 20, 2014
Thus the new marching orders: get madder about the same old things - but in an even more deranged fashion.
David's Bookclub: 'Bullies'
Justin Green
January 14, 2013
On the other hand, in fairness to them, if they had read the book, they'd no doubt be madder still.
Malkin-Bots Ineptly Strike Back
David Frum, Justin Green
September 23, 2012
In fact, among some pockets of the rich, the more Republicans cut their taxes, the madder they get.
Romney’s ‘47 Percent’ Comments Were Bad Economics and Bad Politics
Daniel Gross
September 18, 2012
Your reporter, however, found that the more he learned, the madder he got.
Where's The Outrage?
Dan Rather
February 12, 2009

Historical Examples

And next day Cap'n Jonadab was round, madder'n a licked pup.
The Depot Master
Joseph C. Lincoln
A madder journey than Jim could have conceived of, had he not been a participant in it.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, May, 1930
Various
Vy the tevil don't beobles zay when there are things the madder at home?
Despair's Last Journey
David Christie Murray
A madder fellow than Bill Poodles never floundered in shallow water.
Breaking Away
Oliver Optic
Nonie's cheeks were scarlet; she was getting madder and madder with every word she said.
We Ten
Lyda Farrington Kraus

British Dictionary definitions for madder

madder¹

noun

any of several rubiaceous plants of the genus Rubia, esp the Eurasian R. tinctoria, which has small yellow flowers and a red fleshy root
the root of this plant
a dark reddish-purple dye formerly obtained by fermentation of this root; identical to the synthetic dye, alizarin
a red lake obtained from alizarin and an inorganic base; used as a pigment in inks and paints

Word Origin

Old English mædere; related to Middle Dutch mēde, Old Norse mathra

madder²

adjective

the comparative of mad

MAD

n acronym for US

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

mad

adjective madder or maddest

mentally deranged; insane
senseless; foolisha mad idea
(often foll by at) informal angry; resentful
(foll by about, on, or over; often postpositive) wildly enthusiastic (about) or fond (of)mad about football; football-mad
extremely excited or confused; frantica mad rush
temporarily overpowered by violent reactions, emotions, etcmad with grief
(of animals)
1. unusually ferociousa mad buffalo
2. afflicted with rabies
like mad informal with great energy, enthusiasm, or haste; wildly
mad as a hatter crazily eccentric

verb mads, madding or madded

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

Derived Formsmaddish, adjective

Word Origin

Old English gemǣded, past participle of gemǣdan to render insane; related to gemād insane, and to Old High German gimeit silly, crazy, Old Norse meitha to hurt, damage

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for madder

n.

type of plant (in modern use Rubia tinctorum) used for making dyes, Old English mædere, from PIE *modhro- "dye plant" (cf. Old Norse maðra, Old High German matara "madder," Polish modry, Czech modry "blue").

mad

adj.

late 13c., from Old English gemædde (plural) "out of one's mind" (usually implying also violent excitement), also "foolish, extremely stupid," earlier gemæded "rendered insane," past participle of a lost verb *gemædan "to make insane or foolish," from Proto-Germanic *ga-maid-jan, demonstrative form of *ga-maid-az "changed (for the worse), abnormal" (cf. Old Saxon gimed "foolish," Old High German gimeit "foolish, vain, boastful," Gothic gamaiþs "crippled, wounded," Old Norse meiða "to hurt, maim"), from intensive prefix *ga- + PIE *moito-, past participle of root *mei- "to change" (cf. Latin mutare "to change," mutuus "done in exchange," migrare "to change one's place of residence;" see mutable).

Emerged in Middle English to replace the more usual Old English word, wod (see wood (adj.)). Sense of "beside oneself with excitement or enthusiasm" is from early 14c. Meaning "beside oneself with anger" is attested from early 14c., but deplored by Rev. John Witherspoon (1781) as an Americanism. It now competes in American English with angry for this sense. Of animals, "affected with rabies," from late 13c. Phrase mad as a March hare is attested from 1520s, via notion of breeding season; mad as a hatter is from 1829 as "demented," 1837 as "enraged," according to a modern theory supposedly from erratic behavior caused by prolonged exposure to poison mercuric nitrate, used in making felt hats. For mad as a wet hen see hen. Mad money is attested from 1922; mad scientist is from 1891.

mad

adv.

late 14c., from mad (adj.).

madder in Medicine

mad

(măd)

adj.

Angry; resentful.
Suffering from a disorder of the mind; insane.
Affected by rabies; rabid.

Idioms and Phrases with madder

mad

In addition to the idioms beginning with mad

also see:

madder.css-pdubzd{font-size:17px;vertical-align:super;}1

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}madder1

madder2

mad

Origin of mad

Synonyms

Antonyms

Usage note

Examples from the Web for madder

Contemporary Examples

Late last week, McDonough assured us that Obama is “madder than hell” about the VA fiasco.

Thus the new marching orders: get madder about the same old things - but in an even more deranged fashion.

On the other hand, in fairness to them, if they had read the book, they'd no doubt be madder still.

In fact, among some pockets of the rich, the more Republicans cut their taxes, the madder they get.

Your reporter, however, found that the more he learned, the madder he got.

Historical Examples

And next day Cap'n Jonadab was round, madder'n a licked pup.

A madder journey than Jim could have conceived of, had he not been a participant in it.

Vy the tevil don't beobles zay when there are things the madder at home?

A madder fellow than Bill Poodles never floundered in shallow water.

Nonie's cheeks were scarlet; she was getting madder and madder with every word she said.

madder1

Word Origin

madder2

MAD

mad

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for madder

n.

mad

adj.

mad

adv.

mad

Idioms and Phrases with madder

mad

madder¹

Origin of madder¹

madder²

madder¹

madder²