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maddening 1 of 2

adjective

ˈmad-niŋ How to pronounce maddening (audio)
Definition of maddeningnext
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

maddening

2 of 2

verb

present participle of madden
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
Adjective
The same applied to the maddening visual tests—find the traffic lights, the crosswalks, the bicycles, and teach computers to see better. — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 Her fitful vocals capture the chaos of love, the maddening ability of a partner to absolutely wreck a mind or heal it. — Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 7 Aug. 2026
Verb
Sure, the mandatory hydration breaks added for all games (including those in domed stadiums with air conditioning) and a first-ever halftime show in the final were maddening for the soccer purists. — Jasmine Garsd, NPR, 20 July 2026 The sound is not just big and bold, but scrubbed clean by AI with the goal of maddening perfection. — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for maddening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maddening
  1. frustrating
  2. disturbing
  3. infuriating
  4. annoying
  5. confusing
  6. angering
  7. irritating
  8. distracting
Adjective
  • What age should a kid get a phone There isn’t one clean answer to the age question, and that can feel frustrating when your kid’s friends already have phones.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Asked about the most frustrating part of the job, 30 percent chose sourcing, just behind the 33 percent who chose photographing and listing items.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of frustrating
Verb
  • There’s a story there, a complicated and disturbing one, but the new Netflix film Unabomber won’t be the one to give it to us.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Combs has both utilized and weaponized his fortune, industry status, and reputation to hide a volatile temper and disturbing behavior for decades.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Verb
  • That makes Union Town more cumulatively powerful at minute 106 than at any single point, no matter how sad or harrowing or infuriating the stories and experiences are.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
  • But maybe that low point and the unexpected departure of Stokes and the return of Joe Root as Test captain ahead of the white-ball skipper has proved a turning point for one of the most gifted but infuriating batters of his generation.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of infuriating
Adjective
  • Ready to go to South America and see some capybaras annoying tweens?
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • In May, Cloobeck was arrested and charged with three counts of attempting to dissuade a witness from testifying and one count of harassment for making annoying phone calls, according to a criminal complaint.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of annoying
Verb
  • The board’s real contribution is to prevent the organization from confusing speed with progress, automation with accountability or intelligence with wisdom.
    — David Ribott, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Here, misfits are welcome, and bric-a-brac is part of the appeal; the wonderfully bizarre name and devil-may-care attitude have been confusing (and delighting) first-timers for more than 70 years.
    — Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of confusing
Verb
  • After a gig in Brighton, England in December 1981, the Kinks singer smashed a glass against the wall backstage, angering Honeyman-Scott, who wound up punching Davies as a fight ensued.
    — Rachel DeSantis, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Rebecca regrets angering Matthijs (Matteo van der Grijn) after putting his daughter in the middle of a heated discussion around the possibility of Matthijs moving to London.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of angering
Adjective
  • That tiny gesture may explain why secret copying can feel especially irritating.
    — Alesandra Dubin, Glamour, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Despite its splashy unveiling, Project Zenith is more about making the OS less irritating for developers than adding any groundbreaking capabilities.
    — Chris Hoffman, PC Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of irritating
Verb
  • The result is a safer-phone category that already spans traditional feature phones, minimalist devices and smartphones that have been deliberately stripped of distracting features.
    — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Schedule time away from distracting apps If certain times of day are your weak spot, Downtime can help.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of distracting

Browse Nearby Words

maddened
maddening
maddens
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Cite this Entry

“Maddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maddening. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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