1
as in to bother
to cause to go insane or as if insane
the endless swarms of mosquitoes all but maddened the explorers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to infuriate
to make angry
her perpetual tardiness maddened her friends to no end
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of madden
But of all the strange and maddening messages posted around this city, there was one particular type of billboard that the people of San Francisco couldn’t bear.
—
Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Our winter season continues with Adina Hoffman (recipient of a 2013 Windham-Campbell Prize for Nonfiction) chatting with Michael Kelleher about Georges Perec’s magical and mercurial and maddening An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in Paris, translated by Marc Lowenthal.
—Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026
This resulted in an ensemble of complex, often maddening characters.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 30 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
See All Example Sentences for madden
Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Our winter season continues with Adina Hoffman (recipient of a 2013 Windham-Campbell Prize for Nonfiction) chatting with Michael Kelleher about Georges Perec’s magical and mercurial and maddening An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in Paris, translated by Marc Lowenthal.
—Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026
This resulted in an ensemble of complex, often maddening characters.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 30 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
See All Example Sentences for madden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for madden
Verb
-
The administration doesn’t actually bother to project deficits and public debt over the next decade.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
17 Apr. 2026
-
In 2019, the band’s bassist and founding member, Steve Harris, told Rolling Stone the fact that the band wasn’t yet inducted at the time didn’t bother him.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That this stalemate has dragged on this long has infuriated Levin, who considers keeping the government functioning a basic tenet of Congress’s job.—
Paula Mejía,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The gap between what Greg and I did—and, more importantly, thought about—became a gigantic infuriating cavern for me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Separate blockades from haulers and farmers angered by the rising diesel prices have also shut down large swathes of the country’s highways, causing five days of disruption.—
Dalia Abdelwahab,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The mayor's threat to raise property taxes unless Albany agrees to tax the rich angered City Council Speaker Julie Menin.—
Marcia Kramer,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But those familiar worries around his identity kept disturbing his peace.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Courts also accord high deference to arbitration decisions and require extraordinary findings to vacate an arbitration award, meaning arbitration decisions are normally not disturbed or challenged.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
If the President’s Epstein stonewalling initially enraged his base, the issue is arguably now more animating for Democrats than for Republicans.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Community activists arrived at 1 Police Plaza on Monday morning to demand change and accountability after the violent arrest of Timothy Brown last week in Brooklyn, which has enraged many in the community.—
Mahsa Saeidi,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But Neptune also blurs lines, which is why its influence can feel mysterious or even confusing at times.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The threats have left operators confused and frozen, unwilling to attempt passage, due to safety fears and uncertainty about Iran's new fee system.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Teams routinely get annoyed with media that spends time on this sort of thing, but there is no better sales tactic than drama.—
Mac Engel
April 16,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Apr. 2026
-
But now Lamar is doing press annoyed with me.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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 25 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
