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

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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

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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

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
Read more about the maddening limbo some patients have found themselves in while trying to get the first major pancreatic cancer breakthrough in decades. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 8 Sep. 2026 The sequence was the boiling point of a maddening, inexplicable few days in Minnesota. — Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
The Tigers have still been haunted by bouts of bad luck and maddening failures to close out games. — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 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 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
  • Which is what makes the opacity of the committee's process and evaluation tools so frustrating.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • That's frustrating to Northwest Indiana lawmakers like Randy Novak, who hoped storm victims could testify.
    — Lauren Victory, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of frustrating
Verb
  • By mimicking the oarfish’s fluid control, Shepherd’s team aims to construct large, silent robotic monitors capable of observing fragile ocean ecosystems without ever disturbing the wildlife inside them.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Baldwin alleged that decision was just one part of a pattern of disturbing prosecutorial abuses, including presenting false information to the grand jury, failing to disclose two firearms reports, and filing an unlawful gun enhancement.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Verb
  • Some administration officials argue that Washington is merely trying to avoid unnecessarily infuriating Beijing.
    — David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of infuriating
Adjective
  • And best yet, there's no annoying drilling or wires involved at all.
    — George Yang, PC Magazine, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The day improves once your mental energy has something interesting to explore instead of something annoying to manage.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of annoying
Verb
  • Immigrant parents there wanted help writing to their kids’ teachers and making sense of confusing forms.
    — Steven Choi, New York Daily News, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Critics say the requirements have been confusing and difficult for many voters to meet, potentially leaving millions off the registration lists and unable to vote.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 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 sets have too many doors, the scenes have a delirious number of extras and the actors yell their lines over the distracting clatter of crackling fireplaces, beeping machines and ticking clocks.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The text was crisp and easy to read, the matte display minimized distracting reflections, and the ink paper mode made reading comfortable.
    — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of distracting

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Cite this Entry

“Maddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maddening. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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