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 drive mad : craze

2

: to make intensely angry : enrage

Synonyms

• 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

The decision to scale back on payments for certain plans and procedures is maddening to many physicians, as one of the last consistent sources of reimbursement is in their minds becoming more challenging for their patients to access. —Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025

Kalshi’s rise has been maddening to the sportsbooks who jumped through all the regulatory hoops to gain legal approval, as well as the states that are counting on revenue from those sportsbooks. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025

Don’t let that maddening 2,031-horsepower number blind you; Hennessey’s Maverick division is all about making something incredibly personal. —New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2025

What makes this crisis particularly maddening is that much of the demand driving infrastructure to breaking point shouldn't exist. —Tomás O’Leary, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025

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