madman
Americannoun
-
madmen
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of madman
First recorded in 1300–50, madman is from Middle English madd man. See mad, man
Explanation
Madman is an old fashioned, derogatory term for a severely mentally ill person. These days, calling someone with a serious psychiatric illness a madman would be offensive. You're most likely to hear dangerous criminals described as madmen, although it's also common to use this word for someone who acts recklessly: "Look how fast that madman is driving!" Another way to use madman is to emphasize the intensity of something: "She worked on that paper like a madman, writing the entire thing in just a few hours."
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:
To establish the right note of terror on a fog-strewn set by Arnulfo Maldonado that resembles the private chamber of a writer or madman, Page begins with Lady Macbeth’s chilling incantation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2026
Almost always described as a “disappointed job seeker,” Guiteau was a madman, and Mr. Macfadyen’s portrayal is of both man and madness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
"Bibi acted like a madman," a White House official told the news website Axios.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2025
But heavy metal’s favorite madman leaves us with his reminder that “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll.”
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2025
He had his father’s eyes—that intense, manic fire that made you suspect he was either a genius or a madman.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
It’s another thing to go elbow to elbow with a group of elite madmen barreling down an Alpine pass at 50 miles per hour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026
“My kid’s living on the coast, in town right now, so he can be safe from these armed madmen running around,” said Willow Creek grower Walter Wood.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2023
There are few more efficient ways to unleash the demons, madmen, and ghosts hidden in the darkest crevices of the human psyche than to inject anxiety into our imaginations.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2022
“Thousands of laws on the books … have not stopped madmen from carrying out evil acts,” Abbott said.
From Washington Post ● May 27, 2022
She was too old now to deal with madmen, although she still had no suspicion of his sanity.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
