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Synonyms

madly

American  
[mad-lee] / ˈmæd li /

adverb

  1. insanely or wildly.

    The old witch cackled madly.

  2. with desperate haste or intensity; furiously.

    They worked madly to repair the bridge.

  3. foolishly.

    They lived madly, wasting all their money.

  4. extremely.

    They're madly in love.
madly British  
/ ˈmædlɪ /

adverb

  1. in an insane or foolish manner

  2. with great speed and energy

  3. informal extremely or excessively

    I love you madly
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of madly

A Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at mad, -ly

Explanation

To do something madly is to do it in a frenzied or crazy way. If you oversleep, you might throw your clothes on and run madly out the door to catch your bus. If your sister has a demented, angry expression on her face, you could say that her eyes are glowing madly. If your brother is rushing around the house, trying to hastily clean it up before your parents get home, you might say that he's madly throwing things in the garbage. Madly sometimes also means "intensely" or "excessively." In Shakespeare's famous play, Romeo and Juliet love each other madly.

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Vocabulary lists containing madly

"The Necklace" and "The Fashion Show"

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His hyperactivity for much of the day - leaping about his technical area and gesturing madly in the manner of a man at a rave - had gone.

From BBC • Dec. 14, 2025

Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall is a powerful and madly exuberant work.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025

When they get their money, they run madly for the exits, bowling over anyone in their path, and they squeal away in their cars, leaving tire tracks on the road.

From Slate • Nov. 15, 2025

There are evolving displays of solo and group dances, some madly driven, others intently introspective.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 3, 2025

He used to stand on the terrace, barking idiotically, and then dash madly to one corner of the lawn and eat grass in a sort of frenzy.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.