different between mad vs absurd

English

Etymology

From Middle English mad, madde, madd, medd, from Old English ?em?dd, ?em?ded (“enraged”), past participle of ?em?dan, *m?dan (“to make insane or foolish”), from Proto-Germanic *maidijan? (“to change; damage; cripple; injure; make mad”), from Proto-Germanic *maidaz ("weak; crippled"; compare Old English gem?d (“silly, mad”), Old High German gimeit (“foolish, crazy”), literary German gemeit (“mad, insane”), Gothic ???????????????????????????? (gamaiþs, “crippled”)), from Proto-Indo-European *mey- ("to change"; compare Old Irish máel (“bald, dull”), Old Lithuanian ap-maitinti (“to wound”), Sanskrit ????? (méthati, “he hurts, comes to blows”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?mæd/
• (Southern England, Australia) IPA^(key): /?mæ?d/
• Rhymes: -æd

Adjective

mad (comparative madder, superlative maddest)

1. Insane; crazy, mentally deranged.
2. (chiefly US; informal in UK) Angry, annoyed.

3. (chiefly in the negative, informal) Used litotically to indicate satisfaction or approval.
4. (Britain, informal) Bizarre; incredible.

   It's mad that I got that job back a day after being fired.

5. Wildly confused or excited.

   to be mad with terror, lust, or hatred

   • It is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.

   • 1787, R. Bage, The Fair Syrian, p.314

     My brother, quiet as a cat, seems perfectly contented with the internal feelings of his felicity. The Marquis, mad as a kitten, is all in motion to express it, from tongue to heel.

6. Extremely foolish or unwise; irrational; imprudent.
7. (colloquial, usually with for or about) Extremely enthusiastic about; crazy about; infatuated with; overcome with desire for.

8. (of animals) Abnormally ferocious or furious; or, rabid, affected with rabies.

9. (slang, chiefly Northeastern US) Intensifier, signifies an abundance or high quality of a thing; very, much or many.

10. (of a compass needle) Having impaired polarity.

Usage notes

Within Commonwealth countries other than Canada, mad typically implies the insane or crazy sense more so than the angry sense.

In the United States and Canada, the word mad far more often than not refers to anger rather than madness, but such usage is still considered informal by some speakers and labeled as such even in North American English by most UK dictionaries. This is due to an old campaign (since 1781 by amateur language pundits) to discredit the angry sense of the word that was more effective in the UK than in North America. Though not as old as the sense denoting insanity, the sense relating to anger is certainly very old (going back at least to the fourteenth century).

On the other hand, if one is described as "went mad" or having "gone mad" in North America, this denotes insanity, and not anger. Meanwhile, if one "is mad at" something or has "been mad about" something, it is understood that they are angered rather than insane. In addition, such derivatives as "madness", "madman", "madhouse" and "madly" always denote insanity, irrespective of whether one is in the Commonwealth or in North America.

Synonyms

• (insane): See also Thesaurus:insane
• (angry): See also Thesaurus:angry
• (slang: Intensifier, much): wicked, mighty, kinda, helluv, hella.

Translations

Notes

Adverb

mad (not comparable)

1. (slang, New England, New York and Britain, dialect) Intensifier; to a large degree; extremely; exceedingly; very; unbelievably.

   He was driving mad slow.

   It's mad hot today.

   He seems mad keen on her.

Synonyms

• (slang: Intensifier; very): hella; helluv; wicked

Verb

mad (third-person singular simple present mads, present participle madding, simple past and past participle madded)

1. (obsolete, intransitive) To be or become mad. [14th-19th c.]
   • 1852, Washington Irving, Tales from the Alhambra:

     The imperial Elizabetta gazed with surprise at the youthful and unpretending appearance of the little being that had set the world madding.

2. (now colloquial US) To madden, to anger, to frustrate. [from 15th c.]
   • c. 1595, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Richard the Second, Act V Scene 5:

     This musick mads me, let it sound no more.

Derived terms

Anagrams

• ADM, AMD, Adm., DAM, DMA, MDA, adm., dam

Breton

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *mad, from Proto-Celtic *matis.

Adjective

mad

1. good

Noun

mad

1. goodness

Danish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse matr, from Proto-Germanic *matiz, cognate with Norwegian, Swedish mat (“food”), English meat, German Mett (from Low German).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mað/, [?mað]
• Rhymes: -ad

Noun

mad c (singular definite maden, not used in plural form)

1. food

Inflection

Derived terms

• babymad

Noun 2

mad c (singular definite madden, plural indefinite madder)

1. a slice of bread with something on top.

Usage notes

Very compound-prone; see for example ostemad or pølsemad.

Inflection

Derived terms

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma??ð/, [?ma?ð]

Verb

mad

1. imperative of made

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English ?em?dd, ?em?ded, the past participle of ?em?dan.

Alternative forms

• madd, medd

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mad/, /m?d/

Adjective

mad (plural and weak singular madde, comparative madder, superlative maddyst)

1. Mad, insane, deranged; not of sound mind.
2. Emotionally overwhelmed; consumed by mood or feelings.
3. Perplexed, bewildered; surprised emotionally.
4. Irate, rageful; having much anger or fury.
5. Idiotic or dumb; badly thought out or conceived
6. (rare) Obstinate, incautious, overenthusiastic.
7. (rare) Distraught, sad, unhappy.
8. (rare) Scatterbrained or absent-minded.

Derived terms

• amad
• madden
• madhede
• madli
• madnes
• madschipe

Descendants

• English: mad
• Scots: mad

References

• “m??d, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-03-09.

Etymology 2

Derived from the adjective.

Verb

mad

1. Alternative form of madden

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma?d/, /mad/

Verb

mad

1. past participle of make

Old Irish

Etymology

Univerbation of má (“if”) +? ba/bid

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mað/

Verb

mad

1. if it be; if it were (third-person singular present/past subjunctive)
   • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 10^d23

   • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 12^c36

Palauan

Etymology 1

From Pre-Palauan *maða, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *mata, from Proto-Austronesian *maCa.

Noun

mad

1. (anatomy) eye (organ), face, facial expression
2. front; area, space or time in front of

3. aperture, access, entrance

Inflection

Etymology 2

From Pre-Palauan *maðe, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(m-)atay, from Proto-Austronesian *(m-)aCay.

Verb

mad

1. to die

Notes

References

• mad in Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary, at tekinged.com.
• mad in Palauan-English Dictionary, at trussel2.com.
• mad in Lewis S. Josephs; Edwin G. McManus; Masa-aki Emesiochel (1977) Palauan-English Dictionary, University Press of Hawaii, ?ISBN, page 139.

Welsh

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *mad, from Proto-Celtic *matis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma?d/

Adjective

mad (feminine singular mad, plural mad, equative mated, comparative matach, superlative mataf)

1. good
2. lucky, fortunate
3. suitable

Noun

mad m (plural madioedd)

1. goodness
2. good person

Mutation

English

Etymology

First attested in 1557. From Middle French absurde, from Latin absurdus (“incongruous, dissonant, out of tune”), from ab (“away from, out”) + surdus (“silent, deaf, dull-sounding”). Compare surd.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?b?z??d/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?b?s??d/
• (US) IPA^(key): /æb?s?d/, /æb?z?d/, /?b?s?d/, /?b?z?d/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /æb?z?d/
• Rhymes: -??(r)d

Adjective

absurd (comparative absurder or more absurd, superlative absurdest or most absurd)

1. Contrary to reason or propriety; obviously and flatly opposed to manifest truth; inconsistent with the plain dictates of common sense; logically contradictory; nonsensical; ridiculous; silly. [First attested in the mid 16^th century.]
   • 1591, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part I, V-iv

     This proffer is absurd and reasonless.

   • ca. 1710, Alexander Pope

     This phrase absurd to call a villain great
2. (obsolete) Inharmonious; dissonant. [Attested only in the early 17^th century.]
3. Having no rational or orderly relationship to people's lives; meaningless; lacking order or value.
4. Dealing with absurdism.

Usage notes

• In the comparative and superlative degrees, the forms more absurd and most absurd are usually preferred over absurder, absurdest.
• Among the synonyms:
  • Irrational is the weakest, denoting that which is plainly inconsistent with the dictates of sound reason; as, an irrational course of life.
  • Foolish rises higher, and implies either a perversion of that faculty, or an absolute weakness or fatuity of mind; as, foolish enterprises.
  • Absurd rises still higher, denoting that which is plainly opposed to received notions of propriety and truth; as, an absurd man, project, opinion, story, argument, etc.
  • Preposterous rises still higher, and supposes an absolute inversion in the order of things; or, in plain terms, a "putting of the cart before the horse;" as, a preposterous suggestion, preposterous conduct, a preposterous regulation or law.

Synonyms

• foolish, irrational, ridiculous, preposterous, inconsistent, incongruous, ludicrous
• See also Thesaurus:absurd

Derived terms

• absurdly, absurdity
• Absurdistan

Translations

Noun

absurd (plural absurds)

1. (obsolete) An absurdity. [Attested from the early 17^th century until the mid 17^th century.]
2. (philosophy, often preceded by the) The opposition between the human search for meaning in life and the inability to find any; the state or condition in which man exists in an irrational universe and his life has no meaning outside of his existence. [First attested in English in the early 20^th century and first used in the mid-19^th century in Danish by Kierkegaard.]

Derived terms

• Theatre of the Absurd

Translations

References

Further reading

• absurd in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• absurd in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• Brauds, Burdas

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /?p?su?t/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /?p?surt/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ap?su?t/

Adjective

absurd (feminine absurda, masculine plural absurds, feminine plural absurdes)

1. absurd

Derived terms

• absurdament

Related terms

• absurditat
• sord

Noun

absurd m (plural absurds)

1. absurdity

Further reading

• “absurd” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “absurd” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “absurd” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “absurd” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus (“discordant, unreasonable”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /absurd/, [?b?su???d?]

Adjective

absurd (neuter absurd, plural and definite singular attributive absurde)

1. absurd

Adverb

absurd

1. absurdly

Derived terms

• absurditet

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French absurde, from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p?s?rt/
• Hyphenation: ab?surd
• Rhymes: -?rt

Adjective

absurd (comparative absurder, superlative absurdst)

1. absurd

Inflection

Related terms

• absurdisme
• absurditeit

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

Adjective

absurd (comparative absurder, superlative am absurdesten)

1. absurd

Declension

Related terms

• Absurdismus
• Absurdität

Further reading

• “absurd” in Duden online

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From German absurd, from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p?zu?t/, [?p?zu?t]

Adjective

absurd (masculine absurden, neuter absurd, comparative méi absurd, superlative am absurdsten)

1. absurd

Declension

Related terms

• Absurditéit

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin absurdus (“incongruous, dissonant, out of tune”), from ab (“away from, out”) + surdus (“silent, deaf, dull-sounding”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ab?s??/, /ab?s??d/, /ap?s??/, /ap?s??d/
• Rhymes: -??, -??d
• Hyphenation: ab?surd

Adjective

absurd (neuter singular absurd, definite singular and plural absurde, comparative mer absurd, superlative mest absurd)

1. absurd (contrary to reason or propriety; obviously and flatly opposed to manifest truth)

   Synonyms: fornuftsstridig, meningsløs, irrasjonell

2. (theater, literary sciences) absurdist (of or relating to absurdism)

   Synonym: absurdistisk

Derived terms

References

• “absurd” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “absurd” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
• “absurd” in Store norske leksikon

Anagrams

• bardus

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Adjective

absurd (neuter singular absurd, definite singular and plural absurde)

1. absurd

Related terms

• absurditet

References

• “absurd” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

From Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ap.surt/

Noun

absurd m inan (diminutive absurdzik)

1. nonsense

   Synonym: nonsens

   Jego propozycje to jeden wielki absurd.

   His suggestions are one big load of nonsense.

2. (logic) absurdity

Declension

Derived terms

• (verb) absurdalizowa?
• (nouns) absurdalno??, absurdalista, absurdalizacja
• (adjective) absurdalny
• (adverb) absurdalnie

Further reading

• absurd in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• absurd in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French absurde, Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ab?surd/

Adjective

absurd m or n (feminine singular absurd?, masculine plural absurzi, feminine and neuter plural absurde)

1. absurd

Declension

Related terms

• absurditate

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Adjective

absurd

1. absurd

Declension

Related terms

• absurdism
• absurditet

Tatar

Adjective

absurd

1. Latin spelling of ?????? (absurd)