1
: the quality or state of being mad: such as
a
: a state of severe mental illness
—not used technically
… fortifications against an inner darkness, the threat of madness that crouched above him throughout his life.—
Robert F. Moss
Robert F. Moss
b
: behavior or thinking that is very foolish or dangerous : extreme folly
an idea that is pure/sheer madness
c
d
: intense anger : rage
2
: any of several ailments of animals marked by frenzied behavior
specifically
: rabies
Examples of madness in a Sentence
He suffered a series of tragedies that nearly drove him to madness.
Her friends told her the idea was pure madness, but she went through with it anyway.
It was the height of madness for him to drive at such high speeds!
Recent Examples on the Web
Pardo Bazán’s themes are fear, love, hatred, forgiveness, cruelty, repentance, homesickness, and madness—that is, naked reality as experienced across social strata in her time.
—Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
Contenders are rolling into theaters fast and furious from Sentimental Value with Stellan Skarsgård and Renate Reinsve, to Russell Crowe as Herman Göring (Nuremberg), Sydney Sweeney as boxing legend Christy Martin (Christy) and Jennifer Lawrence on the brink of madness in Die My Love.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
It is said that doing the same thing and expecting a different result is madness, and that is something that only voters — not any CARE Court — can fix.
—Adam Summers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2025
Yet the show, and the echo between these two men, hints at an interesting idea that the line between madness and ideology is actually porous.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for madness
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Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
Contenders are rolling into theaters fast and furious from Sentimental Value with Stellan Skarsgård and Renate Reinsve, to Russell Crowe as Herman Göring (Nuremberg), Sydney Sweeney as boxing legend Christy Martin (Christy) and Jennifer Lawrence on the brink of madness in Die My Love.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
It is said that doing the same thing and expecting a different result is madness, and that is something that only voters — not any CARE Court — can fix.
—Adam Summers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2025
Yet the show, and the echo between these two men, hints at an interesting idea that the line between madness and ideology is actually porous.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for madness
Cite this Entry
“Madness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/madness. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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