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:
What sort of world leader, besides a madman, talks like this?
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
Supporters love the "madman theory" for its ability to keep opponents off guard and pull off previously unthinkable achievements.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026
“You can’t let a madman or you can’t let a mad ideology have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026
The real fault should be assigned to the people who gave this madman a platform from which to spout his nutso rants.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2014
Change, that's all he'll get from her; he'd have to beg on his knees before she'd sign Grace Windsor Wexler on the ten-thousand-dollar check, that madman.
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
He’d minnowed through sunburned madmen on winding Alpine passes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
“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
He has argued that the deal’s provisions would keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of potential madmen without banning any new weapons or unduly burdening law-abiding citizens.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 15, 2022
Late-night shortwave: province of ramblers and dreamers, madmen and ranters.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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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.
