(~der, ~dest)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
Someone who is ~ has a mind that does not work in a normal way, with the result that their behaviour is very strange.
She was afraid of going ~.
= insane
ADJ
~ness
He was driven to the brink of ~ness.
N-UNCOUNT
2.
You use ~ to describe people or things that you think are very foolish.
You’d be ~ to work with him again...
Isn’t that a rather ~ idea?
= crazy
ADJ disapproval
~ness
It is political ~ness.
N-UNCOUNT
3.
If you say that someone is ~, you mean that they are very angry. (INFORMAL)
You’re just ~ at me because I don’t want to go...
ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ at/about n
4.
If you are ~ about or ~ on something or someone, you like them very much indeed. (INFORMAL)
She’s not as ~ about sport as I am...
He’s ~ about you...
He’s ~ on trains.
ADJ: v-link ADJ about/on n
•
Mad is also a combining form.
...his football-~ son...
He’s not power-~.
COMB in ADJ
5.
Mad behaviour is wild and uncontrolled.
You only have an hour to complete the game so it’s a ~ dash against the clock...
The audience went ~.
ADJ
~ly
Down in the streets people were waving ~ly.
ADV: ADV with v
6.
If you say that someone or something drives you ~, you mean that you find them extremely annoying. (INFORMAL)
There are certain things he does that drive me ~...
This itching is driving me ~.
PHRASE: V inflects
7.
If you do something like ~, you do it very energetically or enthusiastically. (INFORMAL)
He was weight training like ~.
PHRASE: PHR after v
8.
~ keen: see keen
see also ~ly