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boiling mad

boiling mad

1 4.8
Feeling very angry
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : furioso
  • She was boiling mad after finding out that her project had been canceled without any notice.

Examples

  • A few weeks ago, a serious composer friend and I got boiling mad about it.

    Academic text (2001)
  • And made him boiling mad at us?

  • That made the Corinthians boiling mad.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • I, Hota Wata, am boiling mad, for you are all wet behind the ears.

  • Sally, boiling mad as her coiffure wilts in the Texas sun, stops and tosses down the file box in anger.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • He became boiling mad when his teammate blamed him for the loss in the final match.

  • The teacher was boiling mad when she discovered that several students had cheated on the exam.

Synonyms

mad
vsboiling mad
1.0

Feeling angry or upset with someone

is a stronger idiomatic expression for very intense anger
furious
vsboiling mad
238 3.0

Very angry and ready to shout or complain

is equally intense but more idiomatic and everyday in tone
pissed off
vsboiling mad
  • Informal
197 8.6

Very angry or annoyed

is the more emphatic idiom for peak anger rather than general irritation
outraged
vsboiling mad
27 4.1

Feeling very angry and shocked because something seems unfair

is intense anger without needing a moral cause
irate
vsboiling mad
23 5.3

Very angry and showing it

is similar in strength but is more informal and expressive
livid
vsboiling mad
19 5.5

Very angry and hard to calm

shares severity but is more conversational and vivid
ticked off
vsboiling mad
  • Informal
5 7.9

Feeling angry or annoyed about something

marks a higher intensity of anger, not mere annoyance
hot under the collar
vsboiling mad
  • Informal
5 7.1

Very angry or annoyed because someone criticizes you

is stronger and more focused on intense inner fury
infuriated
vsboiling mad
1 4.5

Feeling very angry because someone treated you unfairly

expresses the same high anger level in colloquial phrasing
pissed
vsboiling mad
  • Informal
1 8.4

Feeling very angry or annoyed

is similar but slightly more vivid and idiomatic in tone
raging
vsboiling mad
1 3.9

Very strong and intense, often violent and out of control

focuses on personal anger in everyday speech rather than general intensity
mad as a meat axe
vsboiling mad
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Very angry and acting without thinking

keeps the same intense anger but not the extreme acting out
mad as a wet hen
vsboiling mad
  • Informal
1 9.8

Very angry or upset

is a more neutral everyday way to state strong anger
enraged
vsboiling mad
4.1

Very angry and likely to act violently

is the common phrase for very strong anger without medical tone
apoplectic with rage
vsboiling mad
8.8

Very angry and unable to control your words or actions

signals extreme anger too but without implying a physical collapse
incensed
vsboiling mad
  • Formal
6.2

Very angry because of something unfair or wrong

is equally intense but does not require unfairness as cause
rip-snorting mad
vsboiling mad
  • Informal
9.5

Being very angry and hard to calm

means the same strong anger but in plain idiomatic form
mad as hops
vsboiling mad
  • Archaic
9.9

Feeling very angry and showing it

is the widespread everyday phrase for very strong anger
mad as a mongoose
vsboiling mad
  • Informal
9.9

Very angry and unable to stay calm

is more neutral idiomatically while matching the same anger degree
mad as a cut snake
vsboiling mad
  • Australian
9.9

Feeling extremely angry and acting wildly

indicates the same intensity but not necessarily irrational action
wild as a wet hen
vsboiling mad
  • Informal
9.4

Feeling very angry and upset

names the same strong feeling but in common modern speech
angry as a wet hen
vsboiling mad
  • UK
9.9

Feeling very angry and upset

is the standard idiom used widely for intense anger
mad enough to chew nails
vsboiling mad
  • Archaic
9.9

Very angry and ready to do something extreme

shows extreme anger too but not necessarily intent to act wildly
steamed
vsboiling mad
  • Informal
6.3

Feeling very angry or annoyed

is stronger and denotes full, intense fury rather than mild annoyance
boiling
vsboiling mad
2.5

Used before an adjective to show a very strong feeling

applies that extreme degree specifically to intense anger

Antonyms

735 1.0

Not showing strong feelings and being very still

87 1.0

Feeling happy and satisfied with what you have

How Angry

enraged
4.1
boiling mad
  • Informal
1 4.8
furious
238 3.0
angry
1.0
annoyed
77 1.0

Surface Forms

boiling mad positive

Morphology

boiling + mad

The meaning 'extremely angry' is directly derivable from combining 'boiling' (intense heat / very strong) with 'mad' (angry): the first word functions as an intensifier of the emotional state. This is a common, cross-linguistic metaphorical pattern (e.g. 'boiling with anger') and follows regular adjective modification, so a B1 learner who knows both words is likely to understand the phrase.

Etymology

The idiom boiling mad comes from the picture of water that is boiling — bubbling and giving off steam — and of a person who is mad as if their anger is heating up. So, if someone is boiling mad, they are 'extremely angry'.