mad

Mad is a word with multiple meanings in English. As an adjective, it can denote anger or irritability (he’s mad at the situation), insanity (a madman), or intense enthusiasm (mad about sports). It can also describe irrational or extreme behavior. The adverb form is madly, used to describe actions done with great energy or fervor. In everyday speech, the word can carry different connotations depending on context, ranging from playful to pejorative.

MAD Magazine is an American humor publication known for its satirical take on popular culture, politics, and media. It began as a comic book in 1952 created by Harvey Kurtzman for EC Comics and evolved into a magazine by 1955. The magazine is famous for parodies, cartoons, and recurring features, with the emblematic character Alfred E. Neuman. Over the decades it has influenced many comedians and cartoonists and remained a prominent fixture in American satire.

MAD also stands for Mutually Assured Destruction, a Cold War-era strategic doctrine. The concept holds that nuclear-armed rivals deter each other from initiating conflict because such a strike would result in unacceptable levels of retaliation and total destruction for both sides.

Beyond these uses, the term has appeared as a title or name in various works and organizations. As a word and acronym, its meaning is highly context dependent, spanning linguistic expressions of emotion, a long-running satirical publication, and a principle of international security.