mad

/mad/, adj., madder, maddest, n., v., madded, madding.

adj.

1. mentally disturbed; deranged; insane; demented.

2. enraged; greatly provoked or irritated; angry.

3. (of animals)

a. abnormally furious; ferocious: a mad bull.

b. affected with rabies; rabid: a mad dog.

4. extremely foolish or unwise; imprudent; irrational: a mad scheme to invade France.

5. wildly excited or confused: frantic: mad haste.

6. overcome by desire, eagerness, enthusiasm, etc.; excessively or uncontrollably fond; infatuated: He's mad about the opera.

7. wildly gay or merry; enjoyably hilarious: to have a mad time at the Mardi Gras.

8. (of wind, storms, etc.) furious in violence: A mad gale swept across the channel.

9. like mad, Informal. with great haste, impulsiveness, energy, or enthusiasm: She ran like mad to catch the bus.

10. mad as a hatter, completely insane.

11. an angry or ill-tempered period, mood, or spell: The last time he had a mad on, it lasted for days.

v.t.

12. Archaic. to make mad.

v.i.

13. Archaic. to be, become, or act mad.

[bef. 900; ME mad (adj.), madden (intrans. v., deriv. of the adj.); OE gemaed(e)d, ptp. of *gemaedan to make mad, akin to gemad mad, foolish; c. OS gemed, OHG gimeit foolish]

Syn. 1. lunatic, maniacal, crazed, crazy. 2. furious, exasperated, raging, wrathful, irate. 4. ill-advised; unsafe, dangerous, perilous. MAD, CRAZY, INSANE are used to characterize wildly impractical or foolish ideas, actions, etc. MAD suggests senselessness and excess: The scheme of buying the bridge was absolutely mad. In informal usage, CRAZY suggests recklessness and impracticality: a crazy young couple. INSANE is used with some opprobrium to express unsoundness and possible harmfulness: The new traffic system is simply insane. 5. frenzied.

Ant. 4. sensible, practical; sound, safe.

Usage. MAD meaning "enraged, angry" has been used since 1300, and this sense is a very common one. Because some teachers and usage critics insist that the only correct meaning of MAD is "mentally disturbed, insane," MAD is often replaced by angry in formal contexts: The President is angry at Congress for overriding his veto.

* * *

(as used in expressions)

Charles the Mad

Mad King Ludwig

mad cow disease

* * *

Universalium. 2010.

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Synonyms:

Insane, crazy, crazed, distracted, lunatic, delirious, deranged, demented, maniac, maniacal / Furious, enraged, raging / Angry, exasperated, provoked, incensed, enraged, wrathful, furious / Infatuated, distracted, wild / Frenzied, frantic, raving, distracted

Look at other dictionaries:

mad — W3S2 [mæd] adj comparative madder superlative maddest ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(angry)¦ 2¦(crazy)¦ 3¦(uncontrolled)¦ 4 be mad about/for/on somebody/something 5¦(mentally ill)¦ 6 like mad 7 don t go mad … Dictionary of contemporary English
MAD UK — MAD Magazine (British Reprint Edition) 1959 1994 Sources:25 Years of MAD Magazine (Suron International Publications, 1984): author David Robinson, British MAD contributor (1978 1994), who wrote all of the following notes.30 Years of MAD Magazine… … Wikipedia
mad — [ mæd ] adjective ** 1. ) never before noun INFORMAL angry: He makes me mad, the way he keeps criticizing me. mad at/with: My boss is mad at me for missing the meeting. 2. ) MAINLY BRITISH very silly or stupid: CRAZY: be mad to do something: You… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
Mad — Mad, a. [Compar. {Madder}; superl. {Maddest}.] [AS. gem?d, gem[=a]d, mad; akin to OS. gem?d foolish, OHG. gameit, Icel. mei?a to hurt, Goth. gam[ a]ids weak, broken. ?.] 1. Disordered in intellect; crazy; insane. [1913 Webster] I have heard my… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
MAD — steht für: MAD (Eisenach), eine Großraumdiskothek MAD (Zeitschrift) für Materialien, Analysen, Dokumente MAD Magazin, eine Satire Zeitschrift MAD Spiel, ein Spiel des MAD Magazins MAD Kartenspiel, ein Kartenspiel des MAD Magazins Die Abkürzung… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Mad — steht für: Amt für den Militärischen Abschirmdienst, ein deutscher Nachrichtendienst MAD Magazin, eine Zeitschrift MAD Spiel, ein Spiel des MAD Magazins MAD Kartenspiel, ein Kartenspiel des MAD Magazins MAD Zeitschrift für Materialien, Analysen,… … Deutsch Wikipedia
MAD — may refer to:* Anger * Madness, the state of being irrational or suffering from mental illness * Mad (magazine) , an American humor magazine and its various spinoffs: ** MADtv , a sketch comedy television series ** Mad Magazine Card Game ** The… … Wikipedia
Mád — Mád … Deutsch Wikipedia
MAD TV — Страна Греция Язык вещания греческий Центр управления Афины Формат изображения … Википедия
mad — [mad] adj. madder, maddest [ME madd, aphetic < OE gemæd, pp. of (ge)mædan, to make mad, akin to Goth gamaiths, crippled, OS gimēd, foolish < IE * mait < base * mai , to hew, cut off > Goth maitan, to hew, Gr mitylos, dehorned] 1.… … English World dictionary

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