1
as in to bother
to cause to go insane or as if insane
the endless swarms of mosquitoes all but maddened the explorers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to infuriate
to make angry
her perpetual tardiness maddened her friends to no end
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of madden
This resulted in an ensemble of complex, often maddening characters.
—
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Which is to say, Ben Johnson repeatedly went for it on fourth down, which often failed in maddening fashion but worked just often enough.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
Instead, inconsistency, maddening inconsistency at times, the type of inconsistency that has produced losses to East-worst Indiana and West-worst Sacramento.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2026
His biggest gripe was the Blue Jackets’ maddening habit of blowing third-period leads.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for madden
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Which is to say, Ben Johnson repeatedly went for it on fourth down, which often failed in maddening fashion but worked just often enough.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
Instead, inconsistency, maddening inconsistency at times, the type of inconsistency that has produced losses to East-worst Indiana and West-worst Sacramento.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2026
His biggest gripe was the Blue Jackets’ maddening habit of blowing third-period leads.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for madden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for madden
Verb
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The 6-foot-2 Strong — AP’s Player of the Year — was bothered by South Carolina’s interior size, with several of her inside shots rattling in and out.—
David Brandt,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
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But he isn’t bothered by the fact that the cost has jumped by more than $1 a gallon over the past month or so.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Experts say gas price hikes infuriate Americans more than most other goods.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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The decision infuriated local opponents, who have applauded selectmen’s decision in mid-March to authorize legal action to try to reverse the vote.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Although this was not the first time Ticketmaster’s price surges had angered fans, the controversies reached a new peak just months later when botched ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour triggered widespread outrage and congressional scrutiny.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
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Fellow cast member Meghan King became skeptical of his symptoms and questioned his illness, which angered many of her costars — including Gunvalson.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Rose had collected art her whole life, cared a lot about her paintings, and was disturbed, obviously, by this fact that wasn’t a fact.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
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Marcet’s intention was certainly not to disturb the religious faith of her young readers, most of whom would have been raised on a literal understanding of the biblical creation story.—
Kathryn Hughes,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That deal enraged House Republicans, who refused to consider the Senate's compromise and instead opted to pass their own stopgap spending measure that would continue funding for all of DHS — including ICE and CBP — through May 22 and sending it back to the Senate.—
Justin Papp,Garrett Downs,
CNBC,
1 Apr. 2026
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But every single thing that is enraging us about what’s going on at the federal level is also happening right here in Tarrant County.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As if that wasn’t confusing enough, not all Christians agree on what day of the calendar that specific Sunday is.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
4 Apr. 2026
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This was not to be confused with the Ulster Volunteer Force or the Ulster Defence Association, both terrorist organizations that vehemently favored the link with Britain.—
Colm Tóibín,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Black also appeared as a frustrated office worker trying to get a co-worker (Ashley Padilla) to stop talking to him and others annoyed by the woman.—
Omar L. Gallaga,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
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Unless you’re annoyed at paying the junior engineers $300,000 a year straight out of school.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Only sick, demented, or deranged people in the House or Senate could vote against THE SAVE AMERICA ACT.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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For all their faults, looksmaxxers are intent on de-fetishizing this particular commodity, revealing beauty to be the product of strenuous (and often deranging) labor.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Madden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/madden. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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