Madly

/ˈmædli/ adverb

Definition

In a wild, frenzied way, or with extreme intensity of emotion like love or anger.

Etymology

From 'mad' + '-ly' (adverb suffix); 'mad' originally meant 'affected by illness' in Old English, evolved to mean 'insane' and then 'wild and excited.'

Kelly Says

Madly shows how we use mental health language casually—saying you're 'madly in love' borrows from describing actual mental illness, a linguistic pattern that reveals how people have always mixed emotions with madness.

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