Mad vs. Upset — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Urooj Arif — Updated on April 24, 2024
Mad often implies stronger emotion or irrationality due to anger, while upset suggests a milder, more emotional response often rooted in distress.
Difference Between Mad and Upset
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Mad is typically used to describe a high level of anger, often with a loss of self-control or rationality. Whereas, upset refers to a state of being unhappy or disappointed, which may stem from various emotional disturbances.
Mad suggests a more intense emotional state that can lead to extreme reactions or behavior. On the other hand, upset might not reach the intensity of mad and often includes feelings of sadness or frustration.
Mad can escalate to aggressive or explosive behavior, reflecting a deeper and possibly uncontrolled anger. Whereas upset often involves a more subdued response, where the individual remains more composed.
Mad in many contexts can imply a temporary loss of reason or judgement, driven by strong impulses. On the other hand, upset is generally associated with a more reflective, thoughtful emotional upset, where reasoning isn’t completely overshadowed.
Mad is sometimes used colloquially to mean 'insane' or 'crazy,' adding a layer of severity or extremity to the emotional state. Whereas upset rarely carries connotations of irrationality or mental instability.
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Comparison Chart
Intensity of Emotion
Very high, often irrational
Milder, more controlled
Associated Behavior
Aggressive, potentially violent
Sad, frustrated, but generally non-violent
Cause
Extreme anger, frustration
General emotional disturbance or sadness
Connotation
Can imply insanity or loss of control
Implies distress without loss of control
Common Usage
Often in serious or extreme contexts
More commonly used in everyday situations
Compare with Definitions
Mad
Extremely angry.
She was mad after finding out the truth.
Upset
Unhappy or worried.
She felt upset after the meeting.
Mad
Done without rational thought.
He made a mad dash for the door.
Upset
Disturbed emotionally.
The bad news left him deeply upset.
Mad
Insane, mentally ill.
The old legend tells of a mad king.
Upset
Caused to be overturned.
The boat was upset by the strong waves.
Mad
Wildly enthusiastic.
He's mad about the new rock band.
Upset
Defeat unexpectedly.
The underdog team upset the champions.
Mad
Frustratingly difficult.
The puzzle was mad hard.
Upset
Disorder or disarray.
The news upset our plans for the day.
Mad
Mentally ill; insane
He felt as if he were going mad
Upset
To cause to overturn; knock or tip over
Upset the flowerpot.
Mad
Very angry
Don't be mad at me
Upset
To disturb the functioning, order, or course of
Protesters upset the meeting by chanting and shouting.
Mad
Great; remarkable
This author has mad skills with the written word
I got mad respect for him
Upset
To cause (the stomach) to feel ill.
Mad
Very; extremely
He was mad cool—we immediately hit it off
Upset
To distress or perturb mentally or emotionally
The bad news upset me.
Mad
Make (someone) mad
Had I but seen thy picture in this plight, it would have madded me
Upset
(ŭpsĕt′) To defeat unexpectedly (an opponent favored to win).
Mad
Angry; resentful
Was mad about the broken vase.
Upset
To make (a heated metal bolt, for example) shorter and thicker by hammering on the end.
Mad
Mentally deranged
"afflicted with hypochondria, depression, and fear of going mad" (Carla Cantor).
Upset
The act of upsetting or the condition of being upset
The upset of the vase.
Mad
Characteristic of mental derangement
Mad laughter.
Upset
A disturbance, disorder, or state of agitation
An upset of my routine.
Mad
Temporarily or apparently deranged by violent sensations, emotions, or ideas
Was mad with jealousy.
Upset
A condition of indigestion
A remedy for stomach upset.
Mad
Lacking restraint or reason; foolish
I was mad to have hired her in the first place.
Upset
A game, contest, or election in which the favorite is defeated.
Mad
Feeling or showing strong liking or enthusiasm
Mad about sports.
Upset
A tool used for upsetting; a swage.
Mad
Marked by a lack of restraint, especially by extreme excitement, confusion, or agitation
A mad scramble for the bus.
Upset
An upset part or piece.
Mad
Exhibiting uncharacteristic aggressiveness, especially as a result of rabies, spongiform encephalopathy, or another neurological disease. Used of animals
A mad dog.
A mad cow.
Upset
Having been overturned
An upset vase.
Mad
Excellent; wonderful
It's really mad that they can come.
Upset
Exhibiting signs and symptoms of indigestion
An upset stomach.
Mad
Abundant; great
Mad respect.
Upset
In a state of emotional or mental distress; distraught
Upset parents.
Mad
To make or become mad; madden.
Upset
(of a person) Angry, distressed, or unhappy.
He was upset when she refused his friendship.
My children often get upset with their classmates.
Mad
Extremely; very
This place is mad cool.
Upset
(of a stomach or gastrointestinal tract, referred to as stomach) Feeling unwell, nauseated, or ready to vomit.
His stomach was upset, so he didn't want to move.
Mad
Insane; crazy, mentally deranged.
You want to spend $1000 on a pair of shoes? Are you mad?
He's got this mad idea that he's irresistible to women.
Upset
(uncountable) disturbance or disruption.
My late arrival caused the professor considerable upset.
Mad
Angry, annoyed.
Are you mad at me?
Upset
An unexpected victory of a competitor or candidate that was not favored to win.
Mad
Bizarre; incredible.
It's mad that I got that job back a day after being fired.
Upset
(automobile insurance) An overturn.
"collision and upset": impact with another object or an overturn for whatever reason.
Mad
Wildly confused or excited.
To be mad with terror, lust, or hatred
Upset
An upset stomach.
Mad
Extremely foolish or unwise; irrational; imprudent.
Upset
(mathematics) An upper set; a subset (X,≤) of a partially ordered set with the property that, if x is in U and x≤y, then y is in U.
Mad
Extremely enthusiastic about; crazy about; infatuated with; overcome with desire for.
Aren't you just mad for that red dress?
Upset
(aviation) The dangerous situation where the flight attitude or airspeed of an aircraft is outside the designed bounds of operation, possibly resulting in loss of control.
Mad
(of animals) Abnormally ferocious or furious; or, rabid, affected with rabies.
A mad dog
Upset
(transitive) To make (a person) angry, distressed, or unhappy.
I’m sure the bad news will upset him, but he needs to know.
Mad
Intensifier, signifying abundance or high quality of a thing; very, much or many.
I gotta give you mad props for scoring us those tickets.
Their lead guitarist has mad skills.
There are always mad girls at those parties.
Their lead guitarist has mad skills.
There are always mad girls at those parties.
Upset
(transitive) To disturb, disrupt or adversely alter (something).
Introducing a foreign species can upset the ecological balance.
The fatty meat upset his stomach.
Mad
(of a compass needle) Having impaired polarity.
Upset
(transitive) To tip or overturn (something).
Mad
Intensifier; to a large degree; extremely; exceedingly; very; unbelievably.
He was driving mad slow.
It's mad hot today.
He seems mad keen on her.
Upset
(transitive) To defeat unexpectedly.
Truman upset Dewey in the 1948 US presidential election.
Mad
To be or become mad.
Upset
(intransitive) To be upset or knocked over.
The carriage upset when the horse bolted.
Mad
To madden, to anger, to frustrate.
Upset
(obsolete) To set up; to put upright.
Mad
Disordered in intellect; crazy; insane.
I have heard my grandsire say full oft,Extremity of griefs would make men mad.
Upset
To thicken and shorten, as a heated piece of iron, by hammering on the end.
Mad
Excited beyond self-control or the restraint of reason; inflamed by violent or uncontrollable desire, passion, or appetite; as, to be mad with terror, lust, or hatred; mad against political reform.
It is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.
And being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.
Upset
To shorten (a tire) in the process of resetting, originally by cutting it and hammering on the ends.
Mad
Proceeding from, or indicating, madness; expressing distraction; prompted by infatuation, fury, or extreme rashness.
Mad wars destroy in one year the works of many years of peace.
The mad promise of Cleon was fulfilled.
Upset
To set up; to put upright.
Mad
Extravagant; immoderate.
Upset
To thicken and shorten, as a heated piece of iron, by hammering on the end.
Mad
Furious with rage, terror, or disease; - said of the lower animals; as, a mad bull; esp., having hydrophobia; rabid; as, a mad dog.
Upset
To overturn, overthrow, or overset; as, to upset a carriage; to upset an argument.
Mad
Angry; out of patience; vexed; as, to get mad at a person.
Upset
To disturb the self-possession of; to disorder the nerves of; to make ill; as, the fright upset her.
Mad
Having impaired polarity; - applied to a compass needle.
Upset
To turn upwards the outer ends of (stakes) so as to make a foundation for the side of a basket or the like; also, to form (the side) in this manner.
Mad
To make mad or furious; to madden.
Had I but seen thy picture in this plight,It would have madded me.
Upset
To become upset.
Mad
To be mad; to go mad; to rave. See Madding.
Festus said with great voice, Paul thou maddest.
Upset
Set up; fixed; determined; - used chiefly or only in the phrase upset price; that is, the price fixed upon as the minimum for property offered in a public sale, or, in an auction, the price at which property is set up or started by the auctioneer, and the lowest price at which it will be sold.
After a solemn pause, Mr. Glossin offered the upset price for the lands and barony of Ellangowan.
Mad
An earthworm.
Upset
The act of upsetting, or the state of being upset; an overturn; as, the wagon had an upset.
Mad
Roused to anger;
Stayed huffy a good while
She gets mad when you wake her up so early
Mad at his friend
Sore over a remark
Upset
An unhappy and worried mental state;
There was too much anger and disturbance
She didn't realize the upset she caused me
Mad
Affected with madness or insanity;
A man who had gone mad
Upset
The act of disturbing the mind or body;
His carelessness could have caused an ecological upset
She was unprepared for this sudden overthrow of their normal way of living
Mad
Marked by uncontrolled excitement or emotion;
A crowd of delirious baseball fans
Something frantic in their gaiety
A mad whirl of pleasure
Upset
Condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning;
The doctor prescribed some medicine for the disorder
Everyone gets stomach upsets from time to time
Mad
Very foolish;
Harebrained ideas
Took insane risks behind the wheel
A completely mad scheme to build a bridge between two mountains
Upset
A tool used to thicken or spread (the end of a bar or a rivet etc.) by forging or hammering or swaging
Upset
The act of upsetting something;
He was badly bruised by the upset of his sled at a high speed
Upset
An improbable and unexpected victory;
The biggest upset since David beat Goliath
Upset
Disturb the balance or stability of;
The hostile talks upset the peaceful relations between the two countries
Upset
Cause to lose one's composure
Upset
Move deeply;
This book upset me
A troubling thought
Upset
Cause to overturn from an upright or normal position;
The cat knocked over the flower vase
The clumsy customer turned over the vase
He tumped over his beer
Upset
Form metals with a swage
Upset
Defeat suddenly and unexpectedly;
The foreign team upset the local team
Upset
Afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief;
Too upset to say anything
Spent many disquieted moments
Distressed about her son's leaving home
Lapsed into disturbed sleep
Worried parents
A worried frown
One last worried check of the sleeping children
Upset
Thrown into a state of disarray or confusion;
Troops fleeing in broken ranks
A confused mass of papers on the desk
The small disordered room
With everything so upset
Upset
Used of an unexpected defeat of a team favored to win;
The Bills' upset victory over the Houston Oilers
Upset
Mildly physically distressed;
An upset stomach
Upset
Having been turned so that the bottom is no longer the bottom;
An overturned car
The upset pitcher of milk
Sat on an upturned bucket
Common Curiosities
What might cause someone to be upset?
Situations involving disappointment, sadness, or minor disturbances typically make someone upset.
Is being mad worse than being upset?
Being mad generally indicates a more intense and severe emotional state than being upset.
How should you approach someone who is mad?
Approach with caution, ensuring to stay calm and avoid escalating the situation.
Are there any physical signs of being mad?
Clenched fists, flushed face, and aggressive postures can indicate that someone is mad.
How long does being upset last?
Being upset can last from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the emotional impact.
What typically causes someone to be mad?
Extreme anger or irritation can cause someone to be mad.
Can someone be both mad and upset at the same time?
Yes, it's possible to feel both mad and upset if a situation involves intense anger along with emotional distress.
Can children experience being mad and upset?
Yes, children can feel both mad and upset, often visibly expressing these emotions.
Can animals be mad or upset?
Animals can display behaviors indicative of anger or distress, which might be interpreted as being mad or upset.
Is mad a more aggressive term than upset?
Yes, mad is often associated with aggression and extreme anger.
How to comfort someone who is upset?
Offer support through listening and empathy to help soothe their emotional distress.
What are physical signs of being upset?
Crying, trembling, and a sad expression are common signs of being upset.
How long does being mad last?
The duration of being mad can vary but often subsides once the anger is expressed or resolved.
Do different cultures perceive being mad and upset differently?
Cultural factors can influence how emotions like being mad or upset are expressed and perceived.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
