madness

Everyday

1. Very foolish or dangerous behaviour: It would be madness to swim in that storm. tree →
2. (old-fashioned) Serious mental illness. tree →
3. Wild excitement or confusion: the madness of the January sales. tree →
4. Great anger (old use). tree →
5. In old tales, madness can also be a name for rabies, a deadly illness of dogs that can spread to people. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday talk «It's madness!» means a plan is silly or dangerous. In stories madness can describe chaos (Black Friday madness, March Madness for US basketball). The old sense for mental illness is now unkind — say «mental illness» instead.

Examples

• It's madness to cycle on the motorway. tree →
• The shops were pure madness before the holidays. tree →
• «This is madness!» shouted the captain as the waves rose. tree →
• There's method in his madness — his odd plan worked. tree →
• The madness of the crowd scared the little boy. tree →
• Leaving the gate open with the dog outside was madness. tree →
• We call it hydrophobia, but they call it dewanee--the madness--and run. tree →

Note

Uncountable. From mad + -ness. «Method in the madness» = a hidden sensible reason. Using «madness» about real illness is old-fashioned and can be hurtful.

In Jewish tradition

It means loss of reason, sent as a punishment in the warnings about breaking the covenant. In Ecclesiastes it means wild folly, set beside wisdom, which the writer tested and found only a striving after wind.

Interpretation. Tradition reads these warnings as a call to keep the commandments, which protect people's lives and minds. Ecclesiastes is read as a search that shows the limits of human wisdom without fear of God.

Examples

• The LORD will smite thee with madness, and with blindness, and with astonishment of heart. (Torah DEU.28.28, JPS 1917) tree →
• The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is grievous madness. (Writings ECC.10.13, JPS 1917) tree →
• And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly — I perceived that this also was a striving after wind. (Writings ECC.1.17, JPS 1917) tree →
• And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness and folly; for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done. (Writings ECC.2.12, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Uncountable. From mad + -ness. «Method in the madness» = a hidden sensible reason. Using «madness» about real illness is old-fashioned and can be hurtful.