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 combinationKevin D. Williamsontrivia known to only the most movie-mad film buffs
a power-mad villain
money-mad
6
: marked by wild gaiety and merriment : hilarious
… of their childhood, of the mad pranks they played …—Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill7
: intensely excited : frantic
… driving him mad with jealousy.—Edmund Wilson
Edmund Wilson8
: 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
Joan Morgansee also mad as a hatter
mutual assured destruction; mutually assured destruction
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
Karen Fratti, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
Locally, contract negotiations between Chicago Public Schools and the teachers union are getting pretty mad as well.
—Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025
There's mad room to have a life apart from the words.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025
The National Archives released 63,000 pages on Tuesday night, a day after Trump's surprise order prompted a mad scramble to un-redact the documents.
—Josh Meyer, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mad
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Adjective
Also, your brother-in-law is mad at the wrong person.
—Karen Fratti, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
Locally, contract negotiations between Chicago Public Schools and the teachers union are getting pretty mad as well.
—Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025
There's mad room to have a life apart from the words.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025
The National Archives released 63,000 pages on Tuesday night, a day after Trump's surprise order prompted a mad scramble to un-redact the documents.
—Josh Meyer, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mad
Cite this Entry
“Mad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mad. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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