madden

verb

mad·​den ˈma-dᵊn 

maddened; maddening ˈmad-niŋ 

ˈma-dᵊn-iŋ

intransitive verb

: to become or act as if mad

transitive verb

1

: to disturb or drive mad

2

: to make intensely angry : enrage

Synonyms of madden

• bother
• frenzy
• disturb
• confuse
• derange
• unbalance
• distract
• upset
• annoy
• craze
• unsettle
• crack
• unhinge

Examples of madden in a Sentence

the endless swarms of mosquitoes all but maddened the explorers

her perpetual tardiness maddened her friends to no end

Recent Examples on the Web

Anthony Richardson possessed almost extraterrestrial talent but maddening inconsistency. — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026

Prices remain high and the roads maddening, but few Mediterranean islands offer so many convincing ways to reach sunrise. — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026

Though Larwood was bowling to a conventional field at the time, Jardine immediately switched to a bodyline field, further maddening the audience. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026

The Tigers have still been haunted by bouts of bad luck and maddening failures to close out games. — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1704, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for madden

• gladden
• hadden
• sadden
• aladdin
• coumadin

Kids Definition

madden

verb

mad·​den ˈmad-ᵊn 

: to make mad : enrage