madhouse

noun

mad·​house ˈmad-ˌhau̇s 

1

informal + often offensive : an institution providing care to mentally ill individuals

2

informal : a place of uproar or confusion

The day of the game against the U.S.S.R., Blythe Arena was a madhouse. Thousands milled about outside, hoping to find a way in.

—Walter Bingham

Synonyms

• babel
• bedlam
• circus
• scrum [British]
• three-ring circus

Examples of madhouse in a Sentence

The stadium was a madhouse when the team won the championship.

it was hard to believe that this place with the bright cheery walls was really a madhouse

Recent Examples on the Web

Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye Welcome to the madhouse. —Vulture, 28 Feb. 2022

Life around the office, which included a basketball court and beer on tap, was a preview of the headquarters-as-madhouse ethos soon to dominate Silicon Valley. —Alex Williams, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2022

The show biz bona fides firmly located modern experience within the dizzying hall of mirrors that is the mass-media madhouse. —Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2022

But the Vaughns planned Records & Retro to be a cool all-day hang not just a Black Friday-type madhouse. —Matt Wake | [e-mail], al, 15 Oct. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

madhouse

noun

mad·​house ˈmad-ˌhau̇s 

1

informal, often offensive : an institution providing care to mentally ill people

2

: a place of uproar or confusion