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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Sometimes, though, there's simply no avoiding a maddening series of bad breaks that can literally send you from first place to 19th in an instant. ArsTechnica, 10 June 2025 In a maddening season for the Red Sox, the 25-year-old has been one of the main reasons to watch as his team has seesawed its way through 66 games. Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 8 June 2025 This was bricolage in the mode of postmodernism, to use a term that Jencks had a leading role in propagating, defining it in multiple competing and overlapping (some would say maddening) ways. Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 1 June 2025 Today, the New Media Circuit resembles a maddening sprawl: countless possible routes, none guaranteed. Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 27 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for maddening

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Maddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maddening. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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