as in frustrating
causing annoyance
after a few days, she found the monotonous work to be absolutely maddening
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 May 2026
The maddening answer is that no one really knows.
—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
29 May 2026
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
What makes this case maddening is that every system seemed to work halfway.
—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for maddening
Adjective
That’s why some of their aimless enthusiasm around generative AI can feel so paradoxical and maddening.
—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 May 2026
The maddening answer is that no one really knows.
—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
29 May 2026
Verb
The rest of the production had been much harder—particularly because, to his frustration, he’d been forced to film primarily in Atlanta rather than in Oakland, after a year of maddening delays led to the production losing its California tax rebate.
—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
What makes this case maddening is that every system seemed to work halfway.
—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for maddening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maddening
Adjective
-
If this World Cup has been trying for Iran, it’s been frustrating for Belgium, which hasn’t scored a goal of its own.
-
The Netherlands are coming off a frustrating 2-2 draw against Japan and desperately need a win to keep their qualification hopes alive.
Verb
-
The ability to create disturbing horror in comics is not easy.
-
He was charged with stalking, disturbing the peace and obstruction for failure to identify himself to law enforcement.
Verb
-
The Iranians moved their training base from Arizona to Mexico, and the team has been required to leave Los Angeles right after both matches, infuriating Ghalenoei.
-
If only the look from the outside-in had measured up the same way instead of descending into a fiasco as thousands faced infuriating delays getting to the stadium.
Adjective
-
Scam texts are annoying for everyone.
-
Others have blamed everything from feminism and long work commutes to annoying kiddy car seats.
Verb
-
The most common mistake is confusing more communication with a better signal.
-
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s investigation of the alternative medicine industry uncovered a pattern of practitioners across Georgia pushing legal limits on what they’re allowed to do and presenting confusing information about their credentials.
Verb
-
Younger, more far left candidates across the nation, from California to Indiana, are running this year to try and oust older, longtime congressional incumbents — angering Democratic Party leaders.
-
But Schnur said the governor likely also has concerns about angering one of his biggest backers.
Adjective
-
The post carried neither hereditary title nor extraordinary fortune, and yet it was regarded with a degree of respect that many noble families found faintly irritating.
-
And compared with stronger anti-aging ingredients like retinoids or chemical exfoliants, copper peptides are generally considered less irritating and are often well-tolerated by sensitive skin.
Verb
-
However, there was a distracting graphical issue where characters and objects would get weird glowy or black artifacts around the edges in close-up shots during battles and cutscenes.
-
People attending the trial would also be prohibited from reacting, gesturing, wearing distracting clothing, or otherwise disrupting proceedings.
Cite this Entry
“Maddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maddening. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
