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madhouse

[ mad-hous ]

/ ˈmædˌhaʊs /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR madhouse ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural mad·hous·es [mad-hou-ziz] /ˈmædˌhaʊ zɪz/.

a hospital for the confinement and treatment of mentally disturbed persons.

a wild, confused, and often noisy place, set of circumstances, etc.: The office was a madhouse today.

Origin of madhouse

First recorded in 1680–90; mad + house

SYNONYMS FOR madhouse

2 bedlam, shambles.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR madhouse ON THESAURUS.COM

Words nearby madhouse

mademoiselle, madera, maderno, madero, madge, madhouse, madhya bharat, madhya pradesh, madhyamika, madian, madiba

Example sentences from the Web for madhouse

Not so long before, executions had been popular entertainment and trips to a madhouse were like going to the circus.

The Magazine That Made—and Unmade—Politicians |Anthony Haden-Guest |November 2, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Before long, it was a madhouse—both literally and figuratively.

Inside Beacher's Madhouse, L.A.'s Craziest Nightclub |Marlow Stern |June 22, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
And to state the obvious, Gosnell's madhouse was not what I was marching for.

Kermit Gosnell Found Guilty of Murdering Three Babies |Megan McArdle |May 13, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Madhouse went bust last year; the company was reportedly bought by a new owner around the time the label came to light.

The Rise of Sexist Fashion, From Plain Jane Homme to Disney |Soraya Roberts |May 9, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

The backstage area of a fashion show is almost always a madhouse.

Backstage at Marchesa Spring/Summer 2013 |Isabel Wilkinson, Kevin Tachman |September 14, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
In the night they were all taken with hallucinations, so that the pious convent was like a madhouse.

Poisons: Their Effects and Detection |Alexander Wynter Blyth
A madhouse is the place for the man who wants to live ou'doors in the winter time; the poor-farm is too good for him.

The Village Watch-Tower |(AKA Kate Douglas Riggs) Kate Douglas Wiggin
Every retail shop turned into a madhouse with the inmates all running wild.

Ladies and Gentlemen |Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury) Cobb
We must release Padovini from the madhouse,” he said, “and put Manin in his place.

Builders of United Italy |Rupert Sargent Holland
Its records read like those of a madhouse where religious maniacs have broken loose and locked up their keepers.

A History of the United States |Cecil Chesterton

British Dictionary definitions for madhouse

madhouse

/ (ˈmædˌhaʊs) /

noun informal

a mental hospital or asylum

a state of uproar or confusion