Ranting and raving is a term used to describe an outburst of intense emotion, usually anger. The crossword solutions for this term are MAD (3 letters) and IRATE (5 letters). MAD is an acronym for 'mentally affected disorder' and is used to describe someone who is emotionally unstable or irrational. IRATE is an adjective meaning 'very angry'. Both words can be used to describe someone who is ranting and raving.