madness

From Middle English madnes, madnesse; equivalent to mad +‎ -ness.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmad.nəs/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmæd.nəs/, /ˈmæd.nɪs/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈmɛd.nɘs/
• Rhymes: (US) -ædnəs

madness (usually uncountable, plural madnesses)

1. The state of being mad; insanity; mental disease.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:insanity

   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii], page 261, column 2:

     Though this be madneſſe, / Yet there is Method in 't: […]

   • 1980 March 7, Billy Joel, “You May Be Right”, in Glass Houses‎^[1]:

     You were lonely for a man
     I said, "Take me as I am"
     'Cause you might enjoy some madness for a while

   • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Eden Prime:

     Shepard: What's wrong with your assistant?
     Dr. Warren: Manuel has a brilliant mind, but he's always been a bit... unstable. Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin.
     Dr. Manuel: Is it madness to see the future? To see the destruction rushing towards us? To understand there is no escape? No hope? No, I am not mad. I'm the only sane one left!
     Dr. Warren: I gave him an extra dose of his meds after the attack.

2. The state of being angry.
3. Rash folly.

• To convey the state of being mad as in angry, the word anger is used instead.

• sanity

• Amsdens, desmans, Masdens, Madsens