- comparative of mad.
madder
1 Americannoun
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madders
plural
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any plant of the genus Rubia, especially the climbing R. tinctorum, of Europe, having open clusters of small, yellowish flowers.
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the root of this plant, formerly used in dyeing.
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the dye or coloring matter itself.
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a color produced by such a dye.
adjective
noun
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any of several rubiaceous plants of the genus Rubia, esp the Eurasian R. tinctoria, which has small yellow flowers and a red fleshy root
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the root of this plant
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a dark reddish-purple dye formerly obtained by fermentation of this root; identical to the synthetic dye, alizarin
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a red lake obtained from alizarin and an inorganic base; used as a pigment in inks and paints
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of madder
before 1000; Middle English mad ( d ) er, Old English mæd ( e ) re; cognate with Old Norse mathra, Old High German matara
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:
"I'm mad about the price, but I'm even madder about why it's so high," the 28-year-old told AFP.
From Barron's ● May 2, 2026
"And of course now I'm even madder than I was before because I've thought of little else now for two years."
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2025
But I don’t think they have been, and I’ve been trying to unpack why I often feel madder after scrolling than I ever did on Twitter.
From Slate ● Jun. 12, 2025
“The more I looked at it, the madder I got,” he recalled.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2024
My fingers ached to pinch him, but I knew that would only make him madder.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
The earths and the browns of madder are all good, and the mixing of madders and good blues will make all the shades of violet and purple you can possibly want in their purity.
From The Painter in Oil A complete treatise on the principles and technique necessary to the painting of pictures in oil colors by Daniel Burleigh Parkhurst
The French madders are in a state of very fine powder, containing one half their weight of gum, sugar, salts, and other soluble substances, which water speedily dissolves.
From Field's Chromatography or Treatise on Colours and Pigments as Used by Artists by Thomas Salter
In this sized tube all the high-priced colors are put up; the cadmiums, the madders, vermilions, and ultramarines and cobalts.
From The Painter in Oil A complete treatise on the principles and technique necessary to the painting of pictures in oil colors by Daniel Burleigh Parkhurst
With both the European and the Indian madders the roots of the plants are the only parts that yield the dye.
From Rugs: Oriental and Occidental, Antique & Modern A Handbook for Ready Reference by Rosa Belle Holt
But the light yellows, and the madders and cobalt, will often make you groan at the rapidity of their disappearance.
From The Painter in Oil A complete treatise on the principles and technique necessary to the painting of pictures in oil colors by Daniel Burleigh Parkhurst
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
