madness
Americannoun
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the state of being mad; insanity.
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senseless folly.
It is sheer madness to speak as you do.
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frenzy; rage.
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intense excitement or enthusiasm.
noun
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insanity; lunacy
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extreme anger, excitement, or foolishness
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a nontechnical word for rabies
Other Word Forms
- premadness noun
Etymology
Origin of madness
First recorded in 1350–1400, madness is from the Middle English word madnesse. See mad, -ness
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.
“But he always has a method to his madness.”
From Los Angeles Times
In the original, Hanks’ character is driven to madness, imagining that his neighbors in the creepy house across the street might be murderers.
From Los Angeles Times
Speaking in California during the "madness" of Super Bowl week, the humble Briton has praised the youth coaches that "changed his life" by giving him a purpose.
From BBC
Even a prominent Greens MP, Ricarda Lang, criticised the court ruling as "madness" on X, writing that "some elderly people no longer leave their homes because they are afraid of injuring themselves".
From Barron's
“Their madness will bring misfortune upon us all!”
From Literature
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.
