maddening

1 of 2

adjective

mad·​den·​ing ˈmad-niŋ 

ˈma-dᵊn-iŋ

1

: tending to disturb or drive mad

2

a

: tending to infuriate

b

: tending to vex : irritating

maddeningly

ˈmad-niŋ-lē 

ˈma-dᵊn-iŋ-

adverb

maddening

2 of 2

present participle of madden

Synonyms of maddening

Adjective

• frustrating
• annoying
• irritating
• disturbing

Examples of maddening in a Sentence

Adjective

He has a maddening habit of interrupting other people.

She shows a maddening inability to control her children.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

As an emergency physician, what is so maddening about a case like hers is that the medicine is not mysterious. — Dara Kass, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026

Capable of flashes of brilliance, but with maddening periods of inconsistency. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Companies have turned efforts to sign up — and maddening cancellations — into a booming business, one supercharged by the pandemic, when millions of customers shifted their shopping online. — Lindsay Owens, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026

For the visitors, the productivity was a maddening mirror image. — Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1743, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for maddening

• saddening

Kids Definition

maddening

adjective

mad·​den·​ing

ˈmad-niŋ, 

-ᵊn-iŋ

: that irritates or angers

a maddening habit

maddeningly adverb