mad

Formsmadder, maddest

Formsmads, madding, madded

1. 1
   angryadjectivecolloquialUS

   Feeling angry or annoyed about something.

   He got mad when the meeting was canceled at the last minute.

   I'm not mad, just a little disappointed in how it went.

   UsageUse mad at with people or things: mad at me, mad at the computer. Use mad about for situations: mad about the delay.

   Similarangry, annoyed, cross, upset, furious

   Oppositecalm, pleased, happy

   Note

   This is the American everyday sense. In the UK and Ireland it reads as informal, and there the "insane" meaning tends to come first. The anger is no newcomer: the Old English source already meant "enraged," and the King James Bible of 1611 has "being exceedingly mad against them." Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • The Old English source of mad meant "enraged". en.wiktionary.org
   • The King James Bible was first published in 1611. en.wikipedia.org
   • The King James Bible contains "being exceedingly mad against them", in Acts 26:11, spoken by Paul. en.wikisource.org
2. 2
   mentally illadjectiveoffensive

   Mentally deranged; not in one's right mind.

   The doctors feared he had gone completely mad after months of isolation.

   Her family worried she was going mad when she started hearing voices.

   UsageCommon in go mad: she feared she was going mad.

   Similarinsane, crazy, deranged, demented, unhinged

   Oppositesane, rational, lucid

   Note

   In the British Isles it is the everyday reading, so "Are you mad?" questions someone's sanity. Agatha Christie's The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920) shows two fixed phrases at once: mad as a hatter, and method in his madness. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Agatha Christie wrote The Mysterious Affair at Styles, first published in book form in 1920. en.wikisource.org
   • Both phrases occur together in the novel, spoken by Hastings about Poirot. gutenberg.org
3. 3
   franticadjective

   Wildly confused or excited; full of frantic activity.

   The newsroom went mad as reporters scrambled to cover the breaking story.

   There was a mad rush for the exits when the alarm sounded.

   UsageCommon in a mad rush, the crowd went mad and mad with fear or joy.

   Similarfrantic, frenzied, hectic, wild, chaotic

   Oppositecalm, orderly, peaceful

   Note

   The King James Bible of 1611 uses upon for the object of the frenzy ("mad upon their idols"). R. Bage's The Fair Syrian (1787) shows the lighter, high-spirited side, setting a Marquis "mad as a kitten" against a brother "quiet as a cat." Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • The King James Bible was first published in 1611. en.wikipedia.org
   • The King James Bible contains “mad upon their idols,” with upon introducing the object. en.wikisource.org
   • Robert Bage wrote The Fair Syrian, published in 1787. archive.org
   • The novel contrasts a brother described as “quiet as a cat” with a Marquis described as “mad as a kitten,” expressing happiness through activity. en.wiktionary.org
4. 4
   foolishadjective

   Extremely foolish, unwise, or reckless.

   It was mad to invest his entire savings in a single risky venture.

   Quitting a stable job with no backup plan seemed completely mad to her parents.

   UsageCommon in it would be mad to do something and completely mad.

   Similarfoolish, crazy, insane, reckless, foolhardy

   Oppositesensible, wise, prudent, sane

5. 5
   keen onadjectivecolloquial

   Extremely enthusiastic about or infatuated with someone or something.

   Teenagers were absolutely mad about the new band's debut album.

   He's mad about vintage cars and spends every weekend restoring them.

   UsageMad about or mad for someone or something: mad about horses. Context separates it from angry mad about.

   Similarcrazy, wild, nuts, keen, passionate

   Oppositeindifferent, apathetic, unenthusiastic

   Note

   Nugent Robinson's Father Tom: A Story of Connemara (1883) has a Dublin attorney "mad for" an estate up for sale. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Nugent Robinson's Father Tom: A Story of Connemara appeared in 1883. en.wiktionary.org
   • The story describes a Dublin attorney as “mad for” an estate being sold. en.wiktionary.org
6. 6
   adjective

   Abnormally ferocious or furious; (of an animal) rabid.

   The farmer shot the mad dog before it could bite the livestock.

   A mad fox wandered into the village, foaming at the mouth.

   UsageMostly in a mad dog.

   Similarrabid, ferocious, savage, wild

   Oppositetame, gentle, docile

7. 7
   intenselyadverbdialectalIrelandNew YorkUK

   To a great degree; very; extremely.

   The concert was mad loud, and my ears rang for hours afterward.

   She's mad talented at drawing.

   Similarreally, very, extremely, super, hella

   Note

   The adverbial partner of the "lots of" adjective is shared by New York and African-American Vernacular slang and by dialect speech in the UK and Ireland. It goes directly before an adjective or adverb: mad hot, mad slow, mad keen. It does not compare, so there is no "madder hot." It stays strictly casual, and formal writing wants very or extremely instead. Source

   Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • The intensifying adverb is associated with New York and African-American Vernacular slang and dialect speech in the UK and Ireland. en.wiktionary.org
8. 8
   a great deal ofadjectivedialectalNew York

   Denoting a large amount or high quality of something; a lot of.

   The chef put mad effort into every dish on the menu.

   He's got mad talent, but he needs more discipline.

   Similarserious, crazy, major, huge

   Oppositelittle

   Note

   New York slang rooted in African-American Vernacular English, where the word stands before a noun to mean "lots of" or "impressive": mad props, mad skills, mad girls. It counts and praises at once, and it works with plural and mass nouns alike. Placement is the test against the adverb "very": before a noun it is this adjective, and before an adjective, as in mad hot, it is the adverb. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

   • This slang use is associated chiefly with New York. en.wiktionary.org
   • The intensifier has roots in African-American English. researchgate.net
9. 9
   adjectivecolloquialIrelandUK

   Bizarre or incredible; astonishing.

   It's mad that they finished the whole project in a single weekend.

   The coincidence was so mad that nobody quite believed it.

   UsageUse it's mad that before a surprising fact, or it's mad how before a description: It's mad how fast the city changed.

   Similarcrazy, insane, wild, unbelievable, incredible

   Oppositenormal, ordinary

   Note

   A British and Irish informal use that reacts to an event rather than describing a person's state of mind. Because the subject is a situation, not someone's temper or sanity, the sentence cannot be heard as the American "angry" sense. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • The bizarre or incredible sense is labelled British and Irish informal. en.wiktionary.org
10. 10
    make angryverbcolloquialJamaicaUStransitive

    To make angry; to anger or frustrate someone.

    Quit bringing up that missed shot, you're only doing it to mad me.

    Nothing mads her faster than being interrupted mid-sentence.

    Similaranger, annoy, enrage, infuriate, irritate

    Oppositeplease, calm, soothe, placate

    Note

    The causative partner of the obsolete "become mad" verb appears in Shakespeare's Richard II, which has "This musick mads me," and in Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy, which has "He that mads others." What faded from standard English survives in colloquial US and Jamaican usage, as in Shaggy's "Oh Carolina" (1993), which uses it in patois for driving others mad. Its forms are regular: mads, madding, madded.

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