[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/madder/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [M](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/m/) / madder

# madder

adjective (mad, madder, maddest); noun (madder — uncountable; a madder plant)

«madder» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Madder is the comparative of mad: more angry. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/madder/#m1)
2. (informal, mostly UK) Madder means more crazy, silly or wild. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/madder/#m2)
3. Madder is a plant with roots that give a red dye, and the red colour made from it, used for thousands of years to dye cloth. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/madder/#m3)

### In the lessons

Mostly it is the -er form of mad in everyday speech: «He got madder and madder.» In US English mad usually means angry; in UK English mad usually means crazy or silly («mad about football» = loves it). In history and art lessons madder is a natural red dye, used for British soldiers' red coats and old paintings. Phrases: madder and madder, madder than ever, madder red, rose madder.

### Examples

- The longer she waited, the madder she got. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/madder/#x1)
- That's an even madder idea than the last one! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/madder/#x2)
- Dad got madder when the car still wouldn't start. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/madder/#x3)
- Madder roots were boiled to make red dye. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/madder/#x4)
- The painter used rose madder for the sunset. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/madder/#x5)
- The soldiers' coats were dyed with madder. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/madder/#x6)
- But if they had only known what were Gilguerillo's thoughts they would have thought him madder than ever. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/madder/#x7)

### Note

Double d in madder and maddest (short vowel + one consonant). Mad has two senses: angry (especially US) and crazy (especially UK); be careful, «mad» can be unkind when used about people with mental illness. As a plant and colour, madder is an uncountable noun.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «madder» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/madder/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«madder» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/madder.html) on Mova free.