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

Relevance

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
Companies have turned efforts to sign up — and maddening cancellations — into a booming business, one supercharged by the pandemic, when millions of customers shifted their shopping online. — Lindsay Owens, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026 For the visitors, the productivity was a maddening mirror image. — Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
Verb
Prices remain high and the roads maddening, but few Mediterranean islands offer so many convincing ways to reach sunrise. — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026 Though Larwood was bowling to a conventional field at the time, Jardine immediately switched to a bodyline field, further maddening the audience. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 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
  • The result can be a frustrating cycle in which borrowers repeatedly pay down balances only to rebuild them when another expense arises.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • And the amount that show business and comedy have changed — the strikes and mergers and COVID and the rest of it — has been really frustrating.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of frustrating
Verb
  • If a passenger won’t wake up after a gentle tap, ask a flight attendant for assistance instead of repeatedly disturbing them.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Her departure came just the day after prosecutors said the baby's mother discovered disturbing camera footage over a three-month period.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Verb
  • Life was crazy and the entertainment business was weird and journalism was infuriating.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Cummings said that in January 2021, a friend of Birchmore’s called Stoughton police and told a dispatcher about the illicit relationship, infuriating Farwell.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of infuriating
Adjective
  • Imagine a congressional coalition formed by kicking out the lawmakers, on either side, who are annoying—the Ted Cruzes and the John Fettermans.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Indeed, the survey showed that use of the horn is the most common action when drivers consider another driver to be annoying or angering them.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of annoying
Verb
  • The Justice Department has argued in its suit that the name overlap risks confusing voters.
    — Willem Marx, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Cyan could theoretically fill the visual gap without confusing road users.
    — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of confusing
Verb
  • Data center demand began driving up electric bills last year across a 13-state electricity grid stretching from Illinois to New Jersey and Maryland, angering ratepayers.
    — Marc Levy, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Indeed, the survey showed that use of the horn is the most common action when drivers consider another driver to be annoying or angering them.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of angering
Adjective
  • Mature skin should be treated with a mild, non-irritating cleanser that won’t strip the skin of its natural oils or irritate dry and sensitive types.
    — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The cold temperature will slow down the enzymes and ease the irritating effects.
    — Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of irritating
Verb
  • As a result, your mind is always searching for the next project to tackle or problem to solve, distracting you while hanging out with family or keeping you from sleeping.
    — Melody Wilding, Contributor, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The compelling series achieves a provocative dissection of it all with rare confidence without the overindulgence of distracting CGI tossed in for sheer spectacle.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of distracting

Browse Nearby Words

maddened
maddening
maddens
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Maddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maddening. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wraith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All