New York meaning
mad
Very, extremely, or in a large amount when used as an intensifier.
Uses your device’s built-in voice. Pronunciation is approximate because available voices and new york pronunciation vary.
Meaning
In New York speech, mad often works as an intensifier meaning very, extremely, or a lot of. It can modify adjectives and informal quantity expressions rather than describing anger.
Pronunciation and grammar
/mæd/ · adverb
Very informal conversational slang.
How it is used
Common patterns include mad good, mad far, mad people, and mad late. This intensifying use is strongly associated with New York and Northeastern urban speech but is now heard elsewhere too.
Examples
Local: That slice was mad good.
Plain English: That slice was extremely good.
Local: There were mad people waiting downstairs.
Plain English: There were a lot of people waiting downstairs.
Important context
Mad does not mean angry in these examples. Listeners must use grammar and context to distinguish the intensifier from the ordinary adjective.