madwoman

[mad-woo m-uh n]

See more synonyms for madwoman on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural mad·wom·en.

a woman who is or behaves as if insane.

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Origin of madwoman

1400–50; late Middle English. See mad, woman

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

fool kook crazy oddball lunatic maniac eccentric nut madman screwball flake loony weirdo madwoman wacko neurotic dement fruitcake nutter cuckoo

Examples from the Web for madwoman

Contemporary Examples

Remember when “the madwoman in the attic” was more than just a metaphor for the female imagination?
Six Fictional Marriages that Have Gone Very, Very Wrong
Jean Hanff Korelitz
March 25, 2014
Remember when it signified an actual ... “madwoman”, in an actual ... “attic”?
Six Fictional Marriages that Have Gone Very, Very Wrong
Jean Hanff Korelitz
March 25, 2014
But why do voters in the sixth district of Minnesota want to be represented by a madwoman?
The GOP's Worst Medicine
Eric Alterman
April 30, 2009

Historical Examples

Pascal fixed a penetrating look on the madwoman, and then on his father and uncle.
The Fortune of the Rougons
Emile Zola
She was a stout, vigorous girl, attached especially to the service of the madwoman.
Doctor Pascal
Emile Zola
A loud cry from the madwoman, a terrified call would have sufficed.
Doctor Pascal
Emile Zola
The boy raised his eyes to the madwoman's face, and both looked at each other.
Doctor Pascal
Emile Zola
Oh, when she left his place, a few days ago, she felt like a madwoman!
The Bill-Toppers
Andre Castaigne

British Dictionary definitions for madwoman

madwoman

noun plural -women

a woman who is insane, esp one who behaves violently; lunatic

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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012