How do you use "Mad (intensifier)" in a sentence?

That new restaurant is mad good — you gotta try it. I'm mad tired, I was up studying all night. There were mad people at the concert, we could barely move.

Mad (intensifier)

American Slang Term American ★★★★☆ Common Casual

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Meaning: Very; extremely — used as an intensifier before adjectives and adverbs in NYC speech.

非常；极其——在纽约话中作为形容词和副词前的强调词使用。

Muy; extremadamente — se usa como intensificador delante de adjetivos y adverbios en el habla neoyorquina.

とても、非常に——NYCの話し言葉で形容詞や副詞の前に置く強調語。

매우, 엄청나게 — NYC 화법에서 형용사나 부사 앞에 붙는 강조어.

In New York City, 'mad' functions as an all-purpose intensifier similar to 'very' or 'really.' Unlike its standard English meaning of 'angry,' NYC's 'mad' simply amplifies whatever follows it. 'Mad hungry,' 'mad tired,' 'mad nice' — it's one of the most distinctive markers of NYC speech.

在纽约市，mad用作万能强调词，相当于very或really。不同于它在标准英语中'生气'的意思，纽约的mad只是加强后面的词。Mad hungry、mad tired、mad nice——这是纽约话最有辨识度的特征之一。

En Nueva York, 'mad' funciona como un intensificador comodín similar a 'muy' o 'superequis'. A diferencia de su significado estándar en inglés ('enfadado'), el 'mad' de NYC simplemente amplifica lo que le sigue. 'Mad hungry', 'mad tired', 'mad nice': es uno de los rasgos más distintivos del habla neoyorquina.

ニューヨーク市では「mad」は「very」や「really」と同じ万能の強調語として機能する。標準英語の「怒っている」という意味とは異なり、NYCの「mad」は後に続くものを単に増幅させる。「Mad hungry」「mad tired」「mad nice」——NYC話法の最も特徴的な目印の一つ。

뉴욕시에서 'mad'는 'very'나 'really'와 비슷한 만능 강조어로 기능한다. 표준 영어에서의 '화난'이라는 뜻과 달리, NYC의 'mad'는 뒤에 오는 말을 단순히 증폭시킨다. 'Mad hungry', 'mad tired', 'mad nice' — NYC 화법의 가장 뚜렷한 특징 중 하나이다.

Examples

That new restaurant is mad good — you gotta try it.
那家新餐厅超好吃——你一定得去试试。
Ese restaurante nuevo está buenísimo — tienes que probarlo.
あの新しいレストランめっちゃ美味い——絶対行ってみて。
그 새 레스토랑 겁나 맛있어 — 꼭 가봐.
I'm mad tired, I was up studying all night.
我超累的，昨晚通宵学习了。
Estoy superagotado, estuve estudiando toda la noche.
めっちゃ疲れた、一晩中勉強してたから。
겁나 피곤해, 밤새 공부했거든.
There were mad people at the concert, we could barely move.
演唱会人超多，我们几乎动不了。
Había muchísima gente en el concierto, casi no podíamos movernos.
コンサートにめっちゃ人がいて、ほとんど動けなかった。
콘서트에 사람이 겁나 많아서 거의 못 움직였어.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: casual conversation, texting, daily speech

Tone: emphatic, casual

✓ Do Say

That pizza was mad good.
That pizza was mad good.（那个披萨超好吃。）
Esa pizza estaba buenísima.
That pizza was mad good.（あのピザめっちゃ美味かった）
그 피자 겁나 맛있었어.
There were mad people on the train.
There were mad people on the train.（地铁上超多人。）
Había un montón de gente en el metro.
There were mad people on the train.（電車にめっちゃ人がいた）
전철에 사람이 겁나 많았어.

✗ Don't Say

Don't use in formal writing — 'The results were mad impressive' sounds too casual for a report
不要用在正式写作中——'The results were mad impressive'在报告里显得太口语化了
No lo uses en textos formales — 'The results were mad impressive' suena demasiado informal para un informe.
フォーマルな文章では使わない——「The results were mad impressive」はレポートにはカジュアルすぎる
공식적인 글에서는 사용하지 말 것 — 'The results were mad impressive'는 보고서에 쓰기엔 너무 캐주얼하다

Origin & History

Has been a feature of New York City speech since at least the 1980s, particularly in African American and Latino communities. May derive from Irish English influence on NYC dialect, where 'mad' was also used as an intensifier.

Cultural Context

Era: 1980s

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: New York City — heard in all boroughs, strong NYC speech marker