Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
mad about

mad about

42 3.5
Very excited about someone or something you like a lot
  • idiom
translation icon : loco por
  • Everyone will be mad about the recovery, no matter how well coordinated it is.

But also I am touched that you're mad about it, that you miss us.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • She is absolutely mad about classical music and attends concerts every month.

  • Many fans are mad about the new superhero movie and can't stop talking about it.

  • People, people get mad about that and I get it.

  • You know, there are many people who are going to be mad about what happened today.

  • How can you be mad about that?

    Academic text (2010)

  • You have every right to be mad about what happened in 2008...

    Blog text (5)

  • "What are you mad about?" he called over his shoulder.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • You do know that I'm completely mad about you?

    Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)

  • I didn't think he was right for her, but she was mad about him.

    Blog text (4)

  • But also I am touched that you're mad about it, that you miss us.

    Late Night with Seth Meyers

Synonyms

crazy
vsmad about
  • Informal
∞ 3.5

Very enthusiastic or excited, often in a way that seems unreasonable

is intense liking without suggesting irrational behaviour
excited
vsmad about
∞ 1.0

Feeling very happy and eager about something

is stronger passion and more intense than ordinary excitement
passionate
vsmad about
329 2.8

Having very strong feelings about something

is intense liking focused on enthusiasm rather than deep emotion
wild
vsmad about
103 4.4

Very enthusiastic about someone or something

is strong, lasting preoccupation rather than temporary thrill
ardent
vsmad about
38 6.3

Feeling very strong excitement or love for something

is intense enthusiasm used in everyday speech rather than formal tone
stoked
vsmad about
  • Slang
1 7.9

Feeling very excited about something good or fun

is very strong enthusiasm but less slangy or casual
hyped about
vsmad about
  • Slang
1 7.9

Excited and eager about something new, like a game or event

is intense enthusiasm but usually less about trendiness
mad with excitement
vsmad about
5.3

Very excited and unable to stay calm

is extreme enthusiasm without implying loss of control

Antonyms

indifferent
46 4.4

Not interested or showing no strong feeling about something

unenthusiastic
4 3.9

Not showing much interest or excitement

How Enthusiastic

obsessed
245 4.8
mad about
42 3.5
keen
85 2.3
fond
223 1.0
interested
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

mad about positive

Morphology

mad + about

The sense 'extremely enthusiastic or passionate about' follows directly from combining 'mad' (crazy/very enthusiastic) with 'about' (concerning/with respect to), so a learner who knows both words can infer the meaning. This is a common compositional pattern (compare 'crazy about') and has cross-linguistic parallels, making it immediately understandable rather than idiomatic.

Etymology

Mad about may come from using mad to mean 'crazy' with strong feeling; imagine someone acting a bit wild because they love a person or thing so much, and about shows who or what they feel that way for. So, mad about means 'extremely enthusiastic' or 'very much in love'.