mad

1 of 5

adjective

madder; maddest
1
: arising from, indicative of, or marked by mental disorder
not used technically
2
a
: completely unrestrained by reason and judgment : unable to think in a clear or sensible way
driven mad by the pain
mad with jealousy
b
: incapable of being explained or accounted for
a mad decision
3
informal : intensely angry or displeased
What are you so mad about?
Everyone was mad about the delay.
That kind of behavior really gets me mad.
I'm so mad I could spit.
4
: carried away by enthusiasm or desire : extremely or excessively fond of or enthusiastic about something or someone
mad about horses
… there is a nouveau riche demographic mad for diamonds and Lamborghinis …Kevin D. Williamson
often used in combination
trivia known to only the most movie-mad film buffs
a power-mad villain
money-mad
5
: affected with rabies : rabid
a mad dog
6
: marked by wild gaiety and merriment : hilarious
… of their childhood, of the mad pranks they played …Winston Churchill
7
: intensely excited : frantic
… driving him mad with jealousy.Edmund Wilson
8
: marked by intense and often chaotic activity : wild
a mad scramble
9
US, informal : great in quantity, amount, extent, or degree
making mad money
Her performance won her mad respect from fans and peers alike, but the media response was tempered at best.Joan Morgan
maddish adjective

see also mad as a hatter

mad

2 of 5

verb

madded; madding
: madden

mad

3 of 5

noun

1
: a fit or mood of bad temper
2
: anger, fury

mad

4 of 5

adverb

informal
: very, extremely
We were mad tight, many of us born and raised in this same spot.Sister Souljah

MAD

5 of 5

abbreviation

mutual assured destruction; mutually assured destruction
Phrases
like mad
: to an extreme degree
spending like mad
working like mad to get the job done on time

Examples of mad in a Sentence

Adjective If you keep teasing that dog, you'll make him mad. What are you so mad about? That guy makes me so mad! a movie about a mad scientist She's mad for a cute boy in her class. He's mad keen on sailing. Verb her endless excuses for not doing the work madded her overburdened coworkers Noun watch out, the boss has got a bit of a mad on just now
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Plenty of TikTokers seem to think so − and dermatologists aren't mad about it. USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024 Laurent, though—perhaps a bit more of a mad scientist or poet than your typical in-house perfumer—is not one to back off from a challenge. Chloe Schama, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2024 There are two main reasons for the mad stampede off the plane – and both are terrible. Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 Don't go to sleep mad at each other 'cause nothing good can really come from that. Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024 While fighting crime and his own inner demons, he’s considered mad and pronounced crazy. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 15 Feb. 2024 Also, surreal ways of visualizing Victorian Europe through the eyes of Bella Baxter, Stone’s pregnant suicide whom a mad scientist reanimates with her infant’s brain. Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024 In an effort to get inside and expose the institution’s horrors, Batman has to pretend to be mad. Josh Weiss, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 With Kamila Valieva banned, Russian skaters get bronze and everyone’s mad Don Catlin didn’t set out to live in a lab. Les Carpenter, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mad.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Verb, and Noun

Middle English medd, madd, from Old English gemǣd, past participle of *gemǣdan to madden, from gemād silly, mad; akin to Old High German gimeit foolish, crazy

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1895, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mad was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near mad

Cite this Entry

“Mad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mad. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mad

adjective
ˈmad
madder; maddest
1
: disordered in mind : insane
2
: done or made without thinking
a mad promise
3
a
: extremely angry : furious
make a bull mad
b
: very displeased
4
: enthusiastic
mad about dancing
5
: affected with rabies : rabid
a mad dog
6
: wildly festive
a mad party
7
: wildly excited : frantic
mad with pain
8
: marked by intense and often chaotic activity
a mad scramble for the ball
madly adverb
madness noun

Medical Definition

mad

adjective
madder; maddest
1
: arising from, indicative of, or marked by mental disorder
not used technically
2
: affected with rabies : rabid

More from Merriam-Webster on mad

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!