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
Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Gates has assembled a stimulating, illuminating, maddening, saddening, but often inspiring, story of their relations with the world and one another.
—Robert Lloyd, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for maddening
Adjective
Why people continue backcountry skiing despite the risks Endless lift lines and maddening crowds have lured skiers to the extremely niche sport of backcountry skiing.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Gates has assembled a stimulating, illuminating, maddening, saddening, but often inspiring, story of their relations with the world and one another.
—Robert Lloyd, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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
See All Example Sentences for maddening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maddening
Adjective
-
Kurt's key takeaways Healthcare can be frustrating.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Kelly portrays Gentile as, at once, the FBI’s best and most frustrating lead.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And with a noise level under 60 dB, the K1 is quiet enough for regular daytime operation without disturbing neighbors.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
15 Mar. 2026
-
In his directorial debut, Ian Tuason plays with the senses in this chilling flick about a pair of paranormal podcasters who are sent a series of disturbing audio files.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Granular, often infuriating descriptions like that one are ultimately what make Hail Mary sing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Mar. 2026
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Instead of infuriating customers at drive-thrus, the company is looking to exasperate its existing employees with the tech instead.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Everybody’s a critic, and critics can be very annoying.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2026
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The former, which would prohibit defense contractors from using Claude in their government workflows, was annoying for Anthropic, but endurable.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Since the Affordable Care Act subsidies expired at the end of 2025, Americans have undoubtedly been encountering a great deal of confusing information surrounding health care costs and insurance plans.—
Jamie Hartmann-Boyce,
The Conversation,
19 Mar. 2026
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There was the shutdown in the fall, staff layoffs, confusing guidance for grant reviewers, and delays getting out the notices for funding opportunities.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The administration also decided to allow the up to 80,000 metric tons of low-tariff, lower-quality beef from Argentina to be imported to help keep grocery prices down, angering cattle ranchers who argue the decision will hurt domestic production and sales.—
Jennifer Jacobs,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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The policy coincided with hurricane season, and relief efforts in states such as Missouri, North Carolina, and California were delayed, angering the public and, in many cases, their Republican representatives.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Here's where things get a bit irritating.—
Justin Pot,
PC Magazine,
13 Mar. 2026
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Rather than focusing on clarity with harsh actives, a key component to the glass skin trend is using gentle, non-irritating ingredients that take your skin to a healthier state.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
InStyle,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There is a difference, lawmakers said, between keeping the Zoom call on a phone on a passenger seat versus directly watching the Zoom meeting in a way that is distracting.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
17 Mar. 2026
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State officials argued that street art designs are distracting and can pose a safety risk.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Maddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maddening. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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