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
Etymology
Origin of madness
First recorded in 1350–1400, madness is from the Middle English word madnesse. See mad, -ness
Explanation
Madness is foolish, impulsive behavior. It would be madness to ride on the back of your friend's car, standing on the bumper. A screaming crowd waiting to see their favorite rock star creates an atmosphere of madness — and their enthusiasm itself can be described as madness. You could also say that donating all your money to an animal shelter would be madness, or describe the madness of a busy Thanksgiving Day sale. Madness sometimes takes on its original meaning, "mental instability" or "insanity."
Vocabulary lists containing madness
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.
To fully appreciate the madness, a bit of historical context is helpful.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Authorities at the time caused "daily madness for everyone," said Suely Araujo of the Climate Observatory NGO.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
With AI images bleeding into the real world at a pace none of us can keep up with, there’s human marvel to behold in Anderson’s madness.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
In the midst of the madness, she auditioned for the lead role of Satine in Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge – which counts as one of the stranger experiences of her career.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
More slamming and screaming and waiting for the front teams to leave and again, madness.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
