madwoman

American  

[mad-woom-uhn] / ˈmædˌwʊm ən /

noun

plural

madwomen

1. a woman who is or behaves as if insane.

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madwoman British  

/ ˈmædwʊmən /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of madwoman

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

Example Sentences

The line is dead and I am clinging to my headpiece like a madwoman, feeling everyone’s eyes on me.

From Literature

Having evaded 12 homicidal masked madmen, madwomen, mad-cousins and mad-siblings, Sidney is now a married mother of three who prefers the last name Evans.

From Los Angeles Times

As it turns out, Nina isn’t the unhinged madwoman she’s perceived to be.

From Salon

“There’s a fine line between madwoman and dreamer,” Maxine will observe, from the vantage of that line.

From Los Angeles Times

But first, Penny must stop in Santa Barbara to deal with Dr. Pincer, her cantankerous, 82-year-old grandmother, the “family’s private madwoman.”

From Washington Post

Related Words

• lunatic
• maniac
• psychopath