madman

noun

mad·​man ˈmad-ˌman How to pronounce madman (audio)
-mən
: a man who is or acts as if insane

Examples of madman in a Sentence

a celebrity being stalked by a madman as far as I'm concerned, anyone who likes skydiving is a madman
Recent Examples on the Web Who but a patriot or a madman would want to be president right now? Amy Wilentz, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024 But unlike many thrillers where the ubiquitous madman is thwarted with just seconds to spare, Hayes shows us the other side of midnight in a way that throws the novel into another dimension and genre, or two. Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Baywatch's Donna D'Errico steps into the lead as Caroline, a direct descendant of Daniel Robitaille (a.k.a. Candyman) whose own mother met her death at the madman's hook. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 25 Oct. 2023 The concept of ‘railway madmen’ emerged, with the belief that the motion and sounds of train travel could trigger madness in passengers. Larry Magid, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2024 This madman is dangerous and has no business being near or in the Oval Office again. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024 For a guy who lives to obliterate the cochlea, Thurston has also never been the madman many of his punk compatriots were. Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 23 Jan. 2024 Years before, fellow villagers in his arid, windswept country in the north had called him a madman for implementing a simple improvement to an age-old water-conservation technique. Adam Nossiter, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2023 The authors also effectively pick apart overly narrow definitions of rationality that make almost every leader come off as a cartoonish madman. Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of madman was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near madman

Cite this Entry

“Madman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/madman. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

madman

noun
mad·​man ˈmad-ˌman How to pronounce madman (audio)
-mən
: a man who is or who acts as if insane

More from Merriam-Webster on madman

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