maddening

adjective

mad·​den·​ing ˈmad-niŋ How to pronounce maddening (audio)
ˈma-dᵊn-iŋ
1
: tending to craze
2
a
: tending to infuriate
b
: tending to vex : irritating
maddeningly
ˈmad-niŋ-lē How to pronounce maddening (audio)
ˈma-dᵊn-iŋ-
adverb

Examples of maddening in a Sentence

He has a maddening habit of interrupting other people. She shows a maddening inability to control her children.
Recent Examples on the Web The maddening setup offers a postage stamp of a haptic touchscreen on the steering wheel to control simple things such as the radio station. Hannah Elliott, Fortune Europe, 26 May 2024 And even once the new form had launched, a maddening array of bugs affected both applicants and college administrators waiting to receive student aid data. Zach Montague, New York Times, 20 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for maddening 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maddening.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1743, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of maddening was circa 1743

Dictionary Entries Near maddening

Cite this Entry

“Maddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maddening. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

maddening

adjective
mad·​den·​ing
ˈmad-niŋ,
-ᵊn-iŋ
: that irritates or angers
a maddening habit
maddeningly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on maddening

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