Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

madman

/ˈmædˌmæn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.22 in modern English

Syllables: mad-man
IPA: /ˈmædˌmæn/

11

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A man who is insane or mentally disturbed.

noun

A person who makes risky and questionable decisions.

noun

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Germanic *ga- Proto-West Germanic *ga- Old English ġe- Proto-Indo-European *mey-? Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- Proto-Indo-European *moyth₂-éye-tider. Proto-Germanic *maidijanąder. Old English *mǣdan Old English ġemǣdan, ġemǣded Middle English mad Proto-Indo-European *mon- Proto-Germanic *mann- Proto-West Germanic *mann Old English mann Middle English man Middle English -man Middle English mad-man English madman Inherited from Middle English mad-man. By surface analysis, mad + -man.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈmædˌmæn/
British English: /ˈmædmən/

Inflected Forms

madmen (plural)

Derived Forms

semimadman

Phrases

madman theory

Frequently Paired Words

madwoman madchild

Synonyms

basket case basket weaver crack crackpot crazy crazyhead dingbat eccentric fruit and nut case fruit cake fruit loop fruitloop

Questions

How do you pronounce madman?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmædˌmæn/.
What does madman mean?: A man who is insane or mentally disturbed.
Where does madman come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Germanic *ga- Proto-West Germanic *ga- Old English ġe- Proto-Indo-European *mey-? Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- Proto-Indo-European *moyth₂-éye-tider. Proto-Germanic *maidijanąder. Old English *mǣdan Old English ġemǣdan, ġemǣded Middle English mad Proto-Indo-European *mon- Proto-Germanic *mann- Proto-West Germanic *mann Old English mann Middle English man Middle English -man Middle English mad-man English madman Inherited from Middle English mad-man. By surface analysis, mad + -man.

How to pronounce madman

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “madman”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmædˌmæn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “madman”.
Repeat and practice — Say “madman” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.