Madness — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun /ˈmad-nəs/ mad·ness

Meaning & Definition of Madness

Madness (noun)

  1. the quality or state of being mad
  2. a state of severe mental illness —not used technically
  3. behavior or thinking that is very foolish or dangerous, extreme folly

Madness (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a serious mental disorder that prevents one from living a safe and normal life

    "nowadays certain forms of madness are quite treatable"

    similar: aberration, dementia, derangement, insanity, lunacy, mania, rage (archaic)
    related: neurosis, psychosis, instability, irrationality, unreasonableness, delirium, frenzy, hysteria, hallucinosis, hypomania, paranoia, schizophrenia, senile dementia, delusion, hallucination, monomania, obsession, phobia, abnormality, dementedness, unsoundness
    opposite: mind, saneness, sanity
    near: lucidity, rationality, rationalness, reasonability, reasonableness, normality, soundness

  2. lack of good sense or judgment

    "to do something so reckless would be sheer madness"

    similar: absurdity, asininity, balminess, brainlessness, craziness, daftness, dippiness, dottiness, fatuity, fatuousness, folly, foolishness, imbecility, inanity, insanity, lunacy, nonsensicalness, nuttiness, preposterousness, senselessness, silliness, simplicity, unwisdom, wackiness, witlessness, zaniness
    related: denseness, dim-wittedness, doltishness, dopiness, dullness, dumbness, feeblemindedness, gormlessness (chiefly British), idiocy, mindlessness, oafishness, obtuseness, simplemindedness, simpleness, slowness, stupidity, stupidness, vacuity, fallacy, irrationality, unreasonableness, kookiness, weirdness, laughableness, ludicrousness, ridiculousness
    opposite: prudence, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness, sanity, sapience, sensibleness, soundness, wisdom
    near: logicality, logicalness, rationality, rationalness, reasonability, reasonableness, validity, discernment, insight, perception, percipience

  3. an intense emotional state of displeasure with someone or something

    "her incessant insults goaded him to such madness that he would storm around breaking dishes and slamming doors"

    similar: anger, angriness, birse (chiefly Scottish), choler, furor, fury, indignation, irateness, ire, lividity, lividness, mad, mood (archaic), outrage, rage, spleen, wrath, wrathfulness, slow burn
    related: aggravation, annoyance, exasperation, irritation, vexation, acrimoniousness, acrimony, animosity, antagonism, antipathy, bile, biliousness, bitterness, contempt, embitterment, empoisonment, enmity, grudge, hostility, rancor, envy, jaundice, jealousy, pique, resentment, malevolence, malice, spite, vengefulness, venom, vindictiveness, virulence, vitriol, belligerence, contentiousness, contrariness, crankiness, disputatiousness, hot-headedness, irascibility, irascibleness, irritability, orneriness, pugnaciousness, pugnacity, quarrelsomeness, querulousness, blowup, flare, flare-up, outburst, chafe, dander, dudgeon, huff, pet, rise, ruffle, temper, air rage, road rage, delirium, heat, passion, warmth
    opposite: delight, pleasure
    near: calmness, forbearance, patience

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Madness

The most common words with a similar meaning to Madness:

Archaic: rage, mood
Chiefly Scottish: birse
aberration, dementia, derangement, insanity, lunacy, mania, absurdity, asininity, balminess, brainlessness, craziness, daftness, dippiness, dottiness, fatuity, fatuousness, folly, foolishness, imbecility, inanity, nonsensicalness, nuttiness, preposterousness, senselessness, silliness, simplicity, unwisdom, wackiness, witlessness, zaniness, anger, angriness, choler, furor, fury, indignation, irateness, ire, lividity, lividness

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Madness

Words with the opposite meaning of Madness:

mind, saneness, sanity, prudence, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness, sapience, sensibleness, soundness, wisdom, delight, pleasure

Related Words for Madness

neurosis, psychosis, instability, irrationality, unreasonableness, delirium, frenzy, hysteria, hallucinosis, hypomania, paranoia, schizophrenia, senile dementia, delusion, hallucination, monomania, obsession, phobia, abnormality, dementedness, unsoundness, denseness, dim-wittedness, doltishness, dopiness, dullness, dumbness, feeblemindedness, gormlessness, idiocy

Near Antonyms of Madness

lucidity, rationality, rationalness, reasonability, reasonableness, normality, logicality, logicalness, validity, discernment, insight, perception, percipience, calmness, forbearance, patience

Origin & Etymology of Madness

First known use: 14th century

Words & Phrases Containing Madness

(a) method in/to one's madness

Frequently Asked Questions about Madness

What does "Madness" mean?

"Madness" means the quality or state of being mad. As a noun, it is defined as: the quality or state of being mad. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Madness"?

Other words for "Madness" include aberration, dementia, derangement, insanity, lunacy, mania, rage and absurdity. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Madness" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Madness"?

There are 158 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Madness". Common alternatives include aberration, dementia, derangement, insanity, lunacy, mania, rage, absurdity, asininity and balminess.

What is the opposite of "Madness"?

Antonyms of "Madness" include mind, saneness, sanity, prudence, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness and sapience. Near antonyms include lucidity, rationality, rationalness and reasonability.

How do you use "Madness" in a sentence?

Examples of "Madness" in a sentence: "nowadays certain forms of madness are quite treatable"; "to do something so reckless would be sheer madness"; "her incessant insults goaded him to such madness that he would storm around breaking dishes and slamming doors".

Is "Madness" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Madness" is a noun.

How do you pronounce "Madness"?

"Madness" is pronounced /ˈmad-nəs/ and divided into syllables as mad·ness.

What is the origin of the word "Madness"?

First known use: 14th century.