madness

The word “madness” means a state of serious mental illness; insanity. In plain terms, either genuine mental illness, or (much more commonly today) an informal way of saying something is crazy, reckless, or chaotic.

“Madness” is pronounced MAD-nuhs (/ˈmæd.nəs/ in IPA).

Here is “madness” used in a sentence: “The old story described his slow descent into madness.”

The opposite of “madness” — its antonyms — is sanity.

“Madness” is a noun.

The word “madness” comes from Middle English. From Middle English madnes, built from mad plus the suffix -ness.

“Madness” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Madness” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a state of serious mental illness; insanity.

The two overlap in meaning serious mental illness, but insanity is more often used in clinical or legal contexts. Madness is more general and everyday, and it also covers wild, foolish, or reckless behaviour that has nothing to do with illness.

The sense of madness meaning serious mental illness is now considered dated and can seem insensitive, so clinical and careful writing avoids it. The other sense — wild, foolish, or reckless behaviour, as in "it would be madness to try" — remains common and neutral.

Common phrases include "sheer madness," "utter madness," and "it's madness" to describe reckless or irrational actions. The saying "method in the madness" suggests hidden sense behind seemingly foolish behaviour.

Both can describe wild or irrational behaviour, but madness is a little stronger and more formal, while craziness is more casual and conversational. Madness can also carry the older meaning of serious mental illness, which craziness usually does not.