madness
gb/mˈædnəs/ us/mˈædnəs/
B2
Englanti
~ 9300
Merkitykset
0 merkitystä
Substantiivi
B2
entity
1
extreme foolishness or irrationality
Very foolish or dangerous behavior or ideas that do not show good thinking.
Käyttömalli:
[something] is sheer madness
Tyypillinen virhe:
Learners sometimes think this meaning always refers to medical mental illness. In everyday speech, calling something "madness" here is usually a strong way to say it is very foolish or risky, not a medical description.
Synonyymit
folly (Slightly more formal; often used for serious or repeated bad decisions.)
|
recklessness (Emphasizes taking big risks without caring about danger.)
Antonyymit
wisdom (Highlights good judgment and careful thinking, the opposite of calling something madness.)
|
prudence (Focuses on careful, risk‑aware decision making.)
Kollokaatiot
sheer madness
|utter madness
|pure madness
|the height of madness
|financial madness
|political madness
Teemat
judgment
|daily_life
|society
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Esimerkit
- It would be sheer madness to drive over the mountains in this storm.
- Quitting your job without any savings is financial madness.
- Building luxury apartments on the floodplain is pure madness.
- Trying to run a company without a budget is the height of madness.
- Cutting all safety checks just to save time is corporate madness.
Oppijaesimerkit
- It is madness to swim in the river after dark.
- Selling your house without a new place to live sounds like madness.
- Driving so fast on wet roads is sheer madness.
- Starting a big project the night before the deadline is pure madness.
Substantiivi
B2
entity
2
severe mental illness or insanity
A serious mental problem that makes a person lose normal control of thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Käyttömalli:
[someone] descends into madness
Tyypillinen virhe:
Learners may use "madness" in serious, real‑life medical contexts where modern speakers often prefer terms like "mental illness" or specific diagnoses. "Madness" is common in stories, historical writing, or dramatic speech, but can sound insensitive in clinical or respectful discussion.
Synonyymit
insanity (Very close in meaning; similarly non‑technical and can sound dramatic or old‑fashioned in medical contexts.)
Antonyymit
sanity (Refers to a normal, healthy state of mind, the direct opposite of madness in this sense.)
|
mental health (Neutral, modern term for a healthy mind, often preferred in clinical or respectful discussion.)
Kollokaatiot
descend into madness
|driven to madness
|edge of madness
|madness and despair
|battle with madness
|locked in his own madness
Teemat
mental_health
|medicine
|literature
|emotions
|health
|core_vocabulary
Esimerkit
- The novel follows his slow descent into madness after the accident.
- She feared that the long isolation would lead her to madness.
- Legends say the old king was driven to madness by grief.
- The film explores the thin line between genius and madness.
- He spent years in an institution, struggling with his madness.
Oppijaesimerkit
- In the story, the main character falls into madness.
- They say the sad news pushed him toward madness.
- The movie shows her fight against madness after the war.
- He is afraid that living alone will bring him madness.
Substantiivi
B2
state
3
extreme excitement or enthusiasm
Very strong excitement or love for something, often by many people at the same time.
Käyttömalli:
[activity] madness
Tyypillinen virhe:
Learners sometimes use "madness" here when a simpler word like "excitement" is enough. "Madness" makes the feeling sound much stronger and more chaotic, so it fits big events or strong trends, not just normal interest.
Synonyymit
mania (Suggests very strong excitement or fashion; can be used in both casual and slightly formal contexts.)
|
craze (Emphasizes a strong but often short‑lived popular interest.)
Antonyymit
apathy (Lack of interest or enthusiasm, the opposite of shared madness for something.)
|
disinterest (Not caring about something that others might be excited about.)
Kollokaatiot
football madness
|shopping madness
|holiday madness
|festival madness
|media madness
|celebrity madness
Teemat
emotions
|sports
|entertainment
|society
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Esimerkit
- The country is caught up in football madness during the World Cup.
- Every December the city explodes into holiday madness.
- The release of the new phone created complete madness in the stores.
- Social media madness can make small stories seem huge overnight.
- We escaped the festival madness by walking along the quiet river.
Oppijaesimerkit
- There is football madness in my town this week.
- Before Christmas, the shopping madness starts.
- The band’s visit caused real madness in the streets.
- I like the party, but the loud madness is too much for me.
Substantiivi
B2
event
4
brief period of foolish impulse
A short time when a person does something very foolish because they do not think carefully.
Käyttömalli:
in a moment of madness, [someone] [verb]
Tyypillinen virhe:
Learners may mix this sense with long‑term mental illness. Phrases like "a moment of madness" or "a fit of madness" almost always describe a short, foolish action, not a medical condition.
Synonyymit
impulse (Focuses on acting suddenly without thinking; does not itself sound as strong or critical as madness.)
|
rush of blood (Informal phrase for a sudden emotional reaction that leads to unwise action.)
Antonyymit
self-control (The ability to stop yourself from acting on foolish impulses.)
|
clear thinking (Careful, calm thought that stops you from doing something in a moment of madness.)
Kollokaatiot
moment of madness
|temporary madness
|fit of madness
|a bit of madness
|sudden madness
|act of madness
Teemat
emotions
|daily_life
|behavior
|core_vocabulary
Esimerkit
- In a moment of madness, he threw his phone into the river.
- She bought the car in a brief madness and regretted it the next day.
- It was a simple act of madness to post that comment publicly.
- He put the company at risk in a fit of madness during the meeting.
- That night was just a bit of madness that we all laugh about now.
Oppijaesimerkit
- In a moment of madness, I cut my hair very short.
- He spent all his money in a short madness.
- She kissed him in a moment of madness.
- It was temporary madness; normally he is very calm.
Kielioppi
Sanakirjamuoto
madness
IPA
GB/mˈædnəs/
US/mˈædnəs/
Tavut ja painotus
mad - ness (2 tavua)
Stress on 1st syllable (mad)
Taivutusmuodot
Noun
- Base: madness
- Plural: madness, madnesses
Sanaperhe
Ilmaukset
in a fit of madness
1/ˈɪn ə fˈɪt əv mˈædnəs/
fixed phrase
during a short foolish period
During a short time when a person does not think clearly and does something very foolish.
Esimerkit
- In a fit of madness, he deleted all his social media accounts.
- She agreed to the trip in a fit of madness and later wondered why she had said yes.
- He threw away the letter in a fit of madness and soon wished he had kept it.
the height of madness
1/ðə hˈaɪt əv mˈædnəs/
fixed phrase
the extreme of foolishness
Used to say that something is extremely foolish or dangerous, more than usual.
Esimerkit
- It would be the height of madness to ignore these safety warnings.
- Sending children across that busy road alone is the height of madness.
- Many experts called the decision to cut all funding the height of madness.
there is method in (someone's) madness
1/ðˈɛɹ ˈɪz mˈɛθəd ˈɪn sˈʌmwˌʌnz mˈædnəs/
idiom
apparently crazy actions have a plan
Used to say that someone’s strange or silly actions actually have a good, careful reason behind them.
Esimerkit
- His desk looks chaotic, but there is method in his madness and he can find everything he needs.
- The coach’s choices seemed strange, but there was method in his madness when the team finally won.
- Trust her; there is method in her madness, even if it does not look that way yet.