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.
–noun
9.
an angry or ill-tempered period, mood, or spell: The last time he had a mad on, it lasted for days.
–verb (used with object)
10.
Archaic. to make mad.
–verb (used without object)
11.
Archaic. to be, become, or act mad.
—Idioms
12.
like mad, Informal. with great haste, impulsiveness, energy, or enthusiasm: She ran like mad to catch the bus.
13.
mad as a hatter, completely insane.
[Origin: bef. 900; ME mad (adj.), madden (intrans. v., deriv. of the adj.); OE gemǣd(e)d, ptp. of *gemǣdan to make mad, akin to gemād mad, foolish; c. OS geméd, OHG gimeit foolish]
—Synonyms 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.
—Antonyms 4. sensible, practical; sound, safe.
—Usage note 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.
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. 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.] Like mad, like a mad person; in a furious manner; as, to run like mad. --L'Estrange. To run mad. (a) To become wild with excitement. (b) To run wildly about under the influence of hydrophobia; to become affected with hydrophobia. To run mad after, to pursue under the influence of infatuation or immoderate desire. "The world is running mad after farce." --Dryden.
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