madhouse

American  

[mad-hous] / ˈmædˌhaʊs /

noun

plural

madhouses

1. a hospital for the confinement and treatment of mentally disturbed persons.

2. a wild, confused, and often noisy place, set of circumstances, etc..

   The office was a madhouse today.

   Synonyms:

   bedlam

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madhouse British  

/ ˈmædˌhaʊs /

noun

1. a mental hospital or asylum

2. a state of uproar or confusion

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Etymology

Origin of madhouse

First recorded in 1680–90; mad + house

Example Sentences

The follow-up continues this kookiness with a madhouse spoof of Hallmark holiday saccharine in which a woodpile becomes a homicidal monster.

From Salon

With the tying run at second base and none out in the ninth inning, he was the calm in a screaming madhouse.

From Los Angeles Times

Citizens Bank Park was a madhouse in Game 1, but the crowd for Game 2 was comparatively toned down.

From Los Angeles Times

Tim O’Reilly, a media writer in Chicago, says that if he didn’t come to a streaming service with a title already in mind, the search would be a madhouse.

From Salon

It was a “chaotic madhouse,” per the actor, in which the kids would perform to stand out, but he was the only one to end up pursuing anything professionally.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• psychiatric hospital