mad

1 of 5

adjective

ˈmad 

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 combination

trivia known to only the most movie-mad film buffs

a power-mad villain

money-mad

5

: affected with rabies : rabid

a mad dog

6

: marked by wild gaiety and merriment : hilarious

… of their childhood, of the mad pranks they played …

—Winston Churchill

7

: intensely excited : frantic

… driving him mad with jealousy.

—Edmund Wilson

8

: 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

maddish

ˈma-dish 

adjective

see also:

like mad mad as a hatter

mad

2 of 5

verb

madded; madding

: madden

mad

3 of 5

noun

1

: a fit or mood of bad temper

2

: anger, fury

mad

4 of 5

adverb

informal

: very, extremely

We were mad tight, many of us born and raised in this same spot.

—Sister Souljah

MAD

5 of 5

abbreviation

mutual assured destruction; mutually assured destruction

Synonyms of mad

Adjective

• angry
• enraged
• outraged
• furious
• infuriated
• indignant
• angered
• ballistic

Verb

• anger
• infuriate
• enrage
• annoy
• outrage

Noun

• anger
• indignation
• rage
• fury
• wrath
• outrage
• mood
• wrathfulness
• madness

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

Adjective

Some patients are arguably mad, others thrashing against their circumstances. — Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026

Monday followed Friday's quarterly options expiration, which clearly left tactical traders underexposed to a rally driven by Meta and high-beta semiconductors, leading to a mad rush for quick call-option exposure, which could fizzle just as quickly. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026

When the Farmer destroys the flock’s beloved pumpkin patch, Shaun turns mad scientist to fix the problem, only for events to spiral out of control as a wild beast roams the woods of Mossingham. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2026

The show, which stars Jessica Chastain as an investigator who infiltrates online hate groups to prevent incidents of mad violence. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Verb, and Noun

Middle English medd, madd, from Old English gemǣd, past participle of *gemǣdan to madden, from gemād silly, mad; akin to Old High German gimeit foolish, crazy

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1895, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing mad

• barking mad
• drive (someone) mad
• go mad
• hopping mad
• horn-mad
• like mad
• mad as a hatter
• mad-brained
• mad cow disease
• mad dash
• mad keen on
• mad money
• mad props
• stark raving mad
• stark staring mad

Rhymes for mad

• ad
• add
• bad
• brad
• cad
• clad
• dad
• fad
• gad
• glad
• grad
• had

Kids Definition

mad

adjective

ˈmad

madder; maddest

1

: arising from or marked by mental disorder

—not used technically

2

: done or made without thinking

a mad promise

3

informal

a

: extremely angry : furious

make a bull mad

b

: very displeased

4

: enthusiastic

mad about dancing

5

: affected with rabies : rabid

a mad dog

6

: wildly festive

a mad party

7

: wildly excited : frantic

mad with pain

8

: marked by intense and often chaotic activity

a mad scramble for the ball

madly adverb

madness noun

Medical Definition

mad

adjective

ˈmad 

madder; maddest

1

: arising from, indicative of, or marked by mental disorder

—not used technically

2

: affected with rabies : rabid