MADDENING Synonyms: 125 Similar and Opposite Words

maddening 1 of 2

adjective

ˈmad-niŋ

Definition of maddening

as in frustrating

causing annoyance after a few days, she found the monotonous work to be absolutely maddening

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

maddening

2 of 2

verb

present participle of madden

as in disturbing

to cause to go insane or as if insane the endless swarms of mosquitoes all but maddened the explorers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in infuriating

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 maddening

Adjective

This is all the more maddening in Milwaukee because, in 2008, the Brewers tried their best. — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026 More than enough time for the Rangers to finish a maddening third. — Mac Engel july 31, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Aug. 2026

Verb

Internet outages can be maddening, with ISPs often issuing vague statements about what happened. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 1 July 2026 This could be maddening for a producer. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for maddening

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maddening

Adjective

At this point in the draft, every RB has questions, but volume remains king, and Harvey could be in a frustrating battle for touches all season.

— Jonathan Rubin, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2026
Bohm’s Phillies career has been sometimes frustrating, sometimes exciting, sometimes perplexing.

— Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of frustrating

Verb

The relative rarity and disturbing nature of these cases are part of what attracts so much attention, said Michelle Oberman, a law professor at Santa Clara University who has studied and written about women who kill their children.

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
But after a series of disturbing events begins occurring around town, including the arrival of a mysterious stranger, Madeline, Celeste, Renata, Jane and Bonnie must grapple with the weight of their past secrets, a synopsis reads.

— Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of disturbing

Verb

There are a variety of reasons for this — from reasonable to infuriating — why those who paid higher prices won’t be getting refunds.

— Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
These are eight facts about women in medical research that are downright insane, infuriating and, in some cases, just unbelievable.

— Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of infuriating

Adjective

Dimes Square has like an annoying stereotype — people are kind of like, uh, jeans and a tank top.

— Zach Schiffman, Curbed, 21 Aug. 2026
When Mel arrives, all hell breaks loose, but at least the perpetually charming Fisher is up for the task of playing someone who is both completely annoying and totally winning.

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of annoying

Verb

Evans also cautioned against confusing maximal lifespan for a healthy lifespan.

— Lauren Chan, STAT, 20 Aug. 2026
Thompson acknowledged that confusing the quarterback, like the defense appeared to do on that play, is a big part of new defensive coordinator Christian Parker’s scheme.

— Jon Machota, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of confusing

Verb

Still, in a great credit to their organization, the Kansas City Chiefs stuck by him while others may have immediately cut him to avoid angering the sports media mob.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026
On the second day of the Test, Woodfull was hit over the heart by Larwood, angering the 50,000-strong partisan crowd.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of angering

Adjective

His irritating habit of starting each meeting with the ping of a bell reinforces his personality.

— Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
The larger battery gives it the sort of range that makes an EV genuinely useful for long-distance driving, while the interior avoids some of the irritating touchscreen-heavy trends found elsewhere.

— Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of irritating

Verb

Women were made to feel that their bodies were somehow offensive, distracting, or inconvenient.

— Robin Givhan, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026
Now, a cross-sectional study based on a registry of fatal US motor vehicle crashes has found that the love of her albums may have even contributed a statistically significant bump in deadly traffic accidents, presumably by distracting drivers.

— Mike McRae August 18, New Atlas, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of distracting

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maddened

maddening

maddens

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“Maddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maddening. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of maddening

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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