mad Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective satellite roused to anger
    sore; huffy.
    • stayed huffy a good while"- Mark Twain
    • she gets mad when you wake her up so early
    • mad at his friend
    • sore over a remark
  2. adjective satellite affected with madness or insanity
    crazy; unhinged; brainsick; demented; disturbed; sick; unbalanced.
    • a man who had gone mad
  3. adjective satellite marked by uncontrolled excitement or emotion
    unrestrained; frantic; excited; delirious.
    • a crowd of delirious baseball fans
    • something frantic in their gaiety
    • a mad whirl of pleasure
  4. adjective satellite very foolish
    insane; harebrained.
    • harebrained ideas
    • took insane risks behind the wheel
    • a completely mad scheme to build a bridge between two mountains

WordNet

Mad obsolete past participle
Definitions
  1. of Made. Chaucer.
Mad adjective
Etymology
AS. gemd, gemad, mad; akin to OS. gemd foolish, OHG. gameit, Icel. meia to hurt, Goth. gamáids weak, broken. .
Wordforms
comparative Madder ; superlative Maddest
Definitions
  1. Disordered in intellect; crazy; insane.
    I have heard my grandsire say full oft, Extremity of griefs would make men mad. Shak.
  2. Excited beyond self-control or the restraint of reason; inflamed by violent or uncontrollable desire, passion, or appetite; as, to be mad with terror, lust, or hatred; mad against political reform.
    It is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols. Jer. 1. 88.
    And being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. Acts xxvi. 11.
  3. Proceeding from, or indicating, madness; expressing distraction; prompted by infatuation, fury, or extreme rashness. "Mad demeanor." Milton.
    Mad wars destroy in one year the works of many years of peace. Franklin.
    The mad promise of Cleon was fulfilled. Jowett (Thucyd.).
  4. Extravagant; immoderate. "Be mad and merry." Shak. "Fetching mad bounds." Shak.
  5. Furious with rage, terror, or disease; -- said of the lower animals; as, a mad bull; esp., having hydrophobia; rabid; as, a mad dog.
  6. Angry; out of patience; vexed; as, to get mad at a person. Colloq.
  7. Having impaired polarity; -- applied to a compass needle. Colloq.
Mad transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Madded; present participle & verbal noun Madding
Definitions
  1. To make mad or furious; to madden.
    Had I but seen thy picture in this plight, It would have madded me. Shak.
Mad intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To be mad; to go mad; to rave. See Madding. Archaic Chaucer.
    Festus said with great voice, Paul thou maddest. Wyclif (Acts).
Mad noun
Etymology
AS. maa; akin to D. & G. made, Goth. mapa, and prob. to E. moth.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) An earthworm. Written also made.

Webster 1913