madwoman

noun

mad·​wom·​an ˈmad-ˌwu̇-mən 

: a woman who is or acts as if insane

Examples of madwoman in a Sentence

She is a madwoman on the dance floor.

Recent Examples on the Web

Next up is Pagli, a madwoman with a thin, charred body, fiendish laugh, and ghoulish shrieks. — JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025

True, Ophelia does go mad in the play, and Swift has already expressed her fondness for madwomen. — Chris Willman, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025

Firestone’s transformation from an activist who had bravely and lucidly critiqued her world into a suffering madwoman who could not understand it or function in it has haunted the second wave. — Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025

Though the role of the madwoman has long been central to the operatic imagination, the conditions and attitudes faced by Nellie Bly — dismissal, doubt, bias and abuse — remain pervasive realities for woman confronting trauma today. — Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing madwoman

• like a madwoman

Rhymes for madwoman

• chairwoman
• frenchwoman
• kinswoman
• saleswoman
• spokeswoman
• businesswoman
• congresswoman
• englishwoman
• gentlewoman
• noblewoman
• policewoman
• washerwoman

Kids Definition

madwoman

noun

mad·​wom·​an ˈmad-ˌwu̇m-ən 

: a woman who is or who acts as if mentally unsound