Pronunciations (3)
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/ˈmædkæp/
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
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/ˈmædˌkæp/
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
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/ˈmæɖˌkæp/
Pronunciation notes
- South-Asia
Noun
A person who acts in a capricious, impulsive, or reckless manner.
- Examples
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Near-synonyms: mad lad, madlad
Come-on you mad-cap: Ile to the Ale-houſe vvith you preſently; […]
More examples (3)
There vvas then in preſence, a certaine old Knight, called Sir Hugh Linne, a good ſouldier, but a very mad-cap, & one that liued chiefely vpon the liberalitie of noble men; […]
Lord, that ſuch a Mad-Cap as I ſhould ever live to be jealous!
I should like to have seen that noble old madcap Peterborough in his boots (he actually had the audacity to walk about Bath in boots!), with his blue ribbon and stars, and a cabbage under each arm, and a chicken in his hand, which he had been cheapening for his dinner.
A very foolish or irresponsible person; a fool, an idiot.
Usage- South-Asia
- Synonyms
- Examples
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[R]un around as he commands. He is a madcap and we must learn to live with him. We are in his hands.
An insane person; a lunatic.
Usage- Obsolete
- Rare
- Examples
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VVhy vvhat a mad-cap hath heauen lent vs here?
More examples (1)
Bel[lamont]. […] [W]hat place is this? / May[bery]. Bedlam iſt not? / Bel. VVhere theſe mad-men are, I neuer vvas amongſt them, as you loue me Gentlemen, lets ſee vvhat Greekes are vvithin. / […] / Bell. Pray beſtovv your name ſir vpon vs. / Full. My name is Full-moone. / Bell. You vvell deſerue this office good maiſter Full-moone: and vvhat mad-caps haue you in your houſe.
Adjective
Capricious, impulsive, or reckless; also, bizarre, crazy, zany; or foolish, idiotic.
- Examples
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a madcap activity a madcap idea a madcap plan
The film featured a madcap car chase that went right through a crowded café.
More examples (7)
O lepidum caput, O mad cap maſter.
[H]is mad-cap follies, / VVhich ſtill like Hydras heads grovv thicker on him.
[T]hose fairy times when I was a mad-cap boy, crowding every enjoyment into the present moment; […]
The young Oxonian, on the contrary, had led out one of his maiden aunts, on whom the rogue played a thousand little knaveries with impunity; he was full of practical jokes, and his delight was to tease his aunts and cousins; yet, like all mad-cap youngsters, he was a universal favourite among the women.
[T]he madcap girl ran up to her mother, put her arms round her waiſt, kiſſed her, tried to make her dance, and ſaid: "Don't be ſilly, you kind little mamma, and cry about Frank turning Papiſt. What a figure he muſt be, with a white ſheet and a candle walking in a proceſſion barefoot!"
My madcap plan was to catch that 0456, then hang about – probably for the 0624.
With this shift in both what shows are being made, and in what viewers desire, the genre hearteningly appears to be reverting to its roots of being an entertainment spectacular, giving the space for novelty and mad-cap amusement that's presented in a warm and humorous way. After a discordant patch, it's in tune again – even if some auditionees, as ever, are not.
Adjective
characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation
- Examples
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a hotheaded decision
liable to such impulsive acts as hugging strangers
More examples (2)
an impetuous display of spending and gambling
madcap escapade
Noun
a reckless impetuous irresponsible person
- Broader terms