as in frustrating
causing annoyance
after a few days, she found the monotonous work to be absolutely maddening
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
2
as in infuriating
to make angry
her perpetual tardiness maddened her friends to no end
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of maddening
Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
For players, the most maddening moment came early in the third when Guerin was called for high-sticking, giving New York a prime man-advantage opportunity to tie the score.
—Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
It’s been maddening to watch a lineup full of high-end hitters come up empty night after night in April, a month that has felt as long as about three.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for maddening
Adjective
That conflict sits at the heart of one of climate's most maddening paradoxes.
—Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
For players, the most maddening moment came early in the third when Guerin was called for high-sticking, giving New York a prime man-advantage opportunity to tie the score.
—Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Verb
What makes this case maddening is that every system seemed to work halfway.
—Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
It’s been maddening to watch a lineup full of high-end hitters come up empty night after night in April, a month that has felt as long as about three.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for maddening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maddening
Adjective
-
Korda’s final putt of the day curled in the right side of the cup to solidify her second consecutive round of 67 at Riviera after beginning the championship with a frustrating 2-over 73.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
7 June 2026
-
Deer And Rabbit Damage Deer have a frustrating habit of nibbling the flowers off of hydrangeas.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
7 June 2026
Verb
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The lawsuit filed Thursday by Karen Read against Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police revealed a long history of disturbing text messages between former police officers Michael Proctor and Sean Goode that allegedly included racial slurs, sexist comments and other offensive material.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
-
The hunt does not require digging or disturbing the terrain in any way, organizers said.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Union Pacific hasn’t commented publicly on the president’s remarks, but risks infuriating the president by denying them privately to investors all the same.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
1 June 2026
-
Cohen says the claims about Parsons are infuriating and false.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Some of the dead-on precision of Nilles’ attack was lost by out-of-sync video screens, an annoying glitch that needs attention given her monster performance.—
Joshua Rothkopf,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
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But still, today’s astro-weather pulls your attention toward friends, collaborators and future plans, and one annoying money issue (or self-worth issue) could completely throw off your mood.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Verb
-
Relocating a bird's nest is confusing for the parents, dangerous for the eggs, and, in most cases, against the law.—
Blythe Copeland,
Martha Stewart,
6 June 2026
-
Since tickets went on sale last year, there has been ongoing controversy surrounding the cost of attendance, from confusing (and expensive) ticket prices to high transit costs.—
Joe Murphy,
NBC news,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The Star, which also looked into the killing, revealed that Jordan’s associations with organized crime figures, as well as his apparent disregard for angering them, likely contributed to his death.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
1 June 2026
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In the biblical Tower of Babel story, humans are driven by hubris to try to create a tower tall enough to touch the sky, angering God in the process.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
Again, this is very Yellowstone for Rip to have an excessively violent response to an irritating obstacle.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
-
This is a company that built its reputation on engineering discipline, financial caution, and an almost irritating level of consistency.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The formal obligation to bow or curtsy will force targets to bend a knee and break eye contact—a perfect opening for the President to place something distracting like a Twix bar on their heads.—
Dahlia Gallin Ramirez,
New Yorker,
9 June 2026
-
Reid plays this so well, but the direction is a little over the top, with drug-trip visuals that are too distracting to follow the dense-as-ever disjointed narration.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Maddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maddening. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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