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 Morgan
see also:
mutual assured destruction; mutually assured destruction
Synonyms of mad
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
Phil Hay, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Here's our list of the five best space prison movies (in no particular order, don't get mad at the numbers).
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Some were pleasant; some were screaming in pain or just screaming mad.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
With the Wild killing a penalty, Marcus Foligno blocked a Matt Duchene shot, then was pushed face-first into the ice by Duchene’s follow-through, coming up bloody and steaming mad.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mad
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
In the annals of English football, this shoots close to the top of the list of ridiculous moments, along with Troy Deeney’s mad goal for Watford in the Championship play-offs in 2013 and Sergio Aguero’s Premier League title-winning strike for Manchester City in 2012.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Here's our list of the five best space prison movies (in no particular order, don't get mad at the numbers).
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Some were pleasant; some were screaming in pain or just screaming mad.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
With the Wild killing a penalty, Marcus Foligno blocked a Matt Duchene shot, then was pushed face-first into the ice by Duchene’s follow-through, coming up bloody and steaming mad.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mad
Cite this Entry
“Mad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mad. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
