1
: the quality or state of being mad: such as
a
: a state of severe mental illness
—not used technically
… fortifications against an inner darkness, the threat of madness that crouched above him throughout his life.—
Robert F. Moss
Robert F. Moss
b
: behavior or thinking that is very foolish or dangerous : extreme folly
an idea that is pure/sheer madness
c
d
: intense anger : rage
2
: any of several ailments of animals marked by frenzied behavior
specifically
: rabies
Examples of madness in a Sentence
He suffered a series of tragedies that nearly drove him to madness.
Her friends told her the idea was pure madness, but she went through with it anyway.
It was the height of madness for him to drive at such high speeds!
Recent Examples on the Web
Nights To Remember A lot of the magic of the Copa Libertadores comes in the madness of the group stages.
—Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
The madness continues today with South Carolina playing Duke and UCLA taking on LSU.
—Andrew Torgan, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025
By the time Dorian makes his final descent into madness, there is no real acting to be done anyway.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
The scene only lasts about 20 seconds, but captures the madness Poheler and Jones describe, especially in a shot of Offerman bucking Poehler around as if by a bull.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for madness
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
The madness continues today with South Carolina playing Duke and UCLA taking on LSU.
—Andrew Torgan, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025
By the time Dorian makes his final descent into madness, there is no real acting to be done anyway.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
The scene only lasts about 20 seconds, but captures the madness Poheler and Jones describe, especially in a shot of Offerman bucking Poehler around as if by a bull.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for madness
Cite this Entry
“Madness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/madness. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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