madman

noun

mad·​man ˈmad-ˌman How to pronounce madman (audio)
-mən
: a man who is or acts as if insane

Examples of madman in a Sentence

a celebrity being stalked by a madman as far as I'm concerned, anyone who likes skydiving is a madman
Recent Examples on the Web This makes his predictions sound like the stuff of a madman or a prophet. David Kushner, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2023 Because there is still a reasonably good chance that this madman, even if convicted of federal crimes, will win next November. Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 31 July 2023 More problematic still is that its mixed signals ultimately clash: What’s played (at least in Cage’s performance) as an ironic, over-the-top ride-along with a wacky madman is in the end meant to be taken seriously. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 24 July 2023 Many people who opine professionally, or at least frequently, on the Russian-Ukrainian war—policymakers and Russian dissidents among them—like to frame the war as the undertaking of a lone madman tyrant. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 15 June 2023 The Trump sequel will be all about revenge Out of the gate Christie cast Trump as a madman and setup the 2024 Republican primary as the best opportunity to stop the former president from using the country to settle personal and political grudges. Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 13 June 2023 That’s part of the twisted fantasy of a immoral and ruthless madman to recreate something resembling the former Soviet Union, leading to sanctions and an increasingly bold West determined to prevent what President Putin once thought would be a walk in the park. Ken Roberts, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2023 A certain folk-hymn sensibility dominates the lonely ballads of Raury, the madman and the artist. Riley Van Steward, Forbes, 5 June 2022 To hear these men and women recount a collective madness in terms of personal memories is to remember that those who followed a madman, who printed propaganda, who burned synagogues, and who turned away when others were sent to death camps were not ogres out of fairy tales. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'madman.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of madman was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near madman

Cite this Entry

“Madman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/madman. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

madman

noun
mad·​man ˈmad-ˌman How to pronounce madman (audio)
-mən
: a man who is or who acts as if insane

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