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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

McCaskill said the frequent outages are frustrating, especially during the high temperatures this summer.

— Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Aug. 2026
Since then, a tarp has covered the area where the letters were once installed, frustrating those who sought to the remove the president's name from the building.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of frustrating

Verb

Tian took the photo during his biodiversity research on the seaway, using environmental DNA sampling and drone surveys to monitor the ecosystem’s health, without disturbing any of the resident wildlife.

— Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026
All three will face a slew of charges, including injuring or removing a tomb or monument, disturbing the contents of a grave or tomb and grand theft, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.

— Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 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

The combined Academy was first based in New York, but then moved out west — angering the folks in Gotham.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 18 Aug. 2026
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich faces a fight for political survival in elections in October after angering his fellow West Bank settlers by voting not to punish ultra-Orthodox Jews who refuse to serve in the military.

— Reuters, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of angering

Adjective

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
Sabalenka double-faulted on match point, her seventh double fault of the day, to put an exclamation point on an irritating evening.

— Lukas Weese, New York Times, 9 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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Style

“Maddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maddening. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of maddening

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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