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
From the foothills of the Berkshires arises a venerable strain of American madness, the poetry of hokum—the old weird America of medicine shows and travelling circuses and carnivals.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
The chaos has Americans and the world wondering whether there’s a method behind the apparent madness.
—Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Apr. 2025
Now, in the second episode, yet another woman seemed to be in mortal peril, and we’d once again been brought there in a slow-drip journey of madness by degrees.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 10 Apr. 2025
The madness started, as baseball madness tends to start, with the New York Yankees: At the end of March, during the opening weekend of the new season, the team’s first three batters hit home runs on the first three pitches thrown their way.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for madness
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
The chaos has Americans and the world wondering whether there’s a method behind the apparent madness.
—Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Apr. 2025
Now, in the second episode, yet another woman seemed to be in mortal peril, and we’d once again been brought there in a slow-drip journey of madness by degrees.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 10 Apr. 2025
The madness started, as baseball madness tends to start, with the New York Yankees: At the end of March, during the opening weekend of the new season, the team’s first three batters hit home runs on the first three pitches thrown their way.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 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 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share