madness

[mad-nis]

noun

1. the state of being mad; insanity.

2. senseless folly.

   It is sheer madness to speak as you do.

3. frenzy; rage.

4. intense excitement or enthusiasm.

madness

/ ˈmædnɪs /

noun

1. insanity; lunacy

2. extreme anger, excitement, or foolishness

3. a nontechnical word for rabies

Other Word Forms

• premadness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of madness¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, madness is from the Middle English word madnesse. See mad, -ness

Idioms and Phrases

see method in one's madness.

Example Sentences

OK, let’s talk about the Twitter madness, because sometimes it is pure madness.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But there is still a method to the madness.

Read more on Salon

In the whirling madness that began when the smartphone achieved ubiquity around 2012, a great many parents did not know what to do.

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In recent years, however, there has been a clear blueprint for October success hidden within the madness.

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Critically difficult and demanding, his style was described once by Krasznahorkai himself as "reality examined to the point of madness".

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• absurdity 
• craziness 
• delusion 
• foolishness 
• hysteria 
• lunacy 
• mania 
• mental illness 
• stupidity