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mad - What does it mean?

Definition of 'mad'

English

Adjective

(madder)
  • Insane; crazy, mentally deranged.
  • * Shakespeare
    • I have heard my grandsire say full oft, / Extremity of griefs would make men mad .
  • Angry, annoyed.
  • * |chapter=6
    • |title= Mr. Pratt's Patients |passage=She was so mad she wouldn't speak to me for quite a spell, but at last I coaxed her into going up to Miss Emmeline's room and fetching down a tintype of the missing Deacon man.}}
  • Wildly confused or excited.
    • to be mad with terror, lust, or hatred
  • * Bible, Jer. 1. 88
    • It is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.
  • * 1787: The Fair Syrian, R. Bage, p.314
    • My brother, quiet as a cat, seems perfectly contented with the internal feelings of his felicity. The Marquis, mad as a kitten, is all in motion to express it, from tongue to heel.
  • Extremely foolish or unwise; irrational; imprudent.
  • Extremely enthusiastic about; crazy about; infatuated with; overcome with desire for.
  • (of animals) Abnormally ferocious or furious; or, rabid, affected with rabies.
  • (slang|chiefly Northeastern US) Intensifier, signifies an abundance or high quality of a thing; , much or many.
  • (of a compass needle) Having impaired polarity.

    • Usage notes

    While within the United States and Canada, the word mad'' ''does'' generally imply ''anger'' rather than insanity, such usage is still considered informal. Furthermore, if one is described as having "gone mad" or "went mad", this will unquestionably be taken as denoting ''insanity''''', and not anger. Meanwhile, if one "is mad at" something or has "been mad about" something, it will be assumed that they are '''''angered'' rather than insane. In addition, if the word is understood as being used literally, it will most likely be taken as meaning "insane". Also, in addition to the former, such derivatives as "madness", "madman", "madhouse" and "madly" ''purely denote insanity, irrespective of whether one is in the Commonwealth or in the United States. Lastly, within Commonwealth countries other than Canada, mad'' typically implies the ''insane'' or ''crazy'' sense more so than the ''angry sense.

    Synonyms

    * (insane) See also * (angry) See also * wicked, mighty, kinda, , hella.

    Adverb

    (-)
  • (slang|New England|New York|and|UK|dialect) Intensifier; to a large degree; extremely; exceedingly; very; unbelievably.
    • He was driving mad slow.
    It's mad hot today.
    He seems mad keen on her.

    Synonyms

    * hella; helluv;

    Derived terms

    * mad as a hatter * madden * madding * madhouse * madly

    Verb

    (madd)
  • To madden, to anger, to frustrate.
  • * c''. 1595 , (William Shakespeare), '' , Act V Scene 5:
    • This musick mads me, let it sound no more.
  • *, I.2.4.iv:
    • He that mads others, if he were so humoured, would be as mad himself, as much grieved and tormented […].

    Anagrams

    * * * * English degree adverbs English intensifiers English three-letter words ----

    Similar to 'mad'

    maid, mood, mead, med, meed, mod, mud, mid, muid, meid, maud, myid, mued