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
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of maddening
Alexander Smith, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2025
What makes Chouinard fascinating—and maddening—is his ability to hold contradictory positions simultaneously.
—Kyle Westaway, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Kalshi’s rise has been maddening to the sportsbooks who jumped through all the regulatory hoops to gain legal approval, as well as the states that are counting on revenue from those sportsbooks.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for maddening
Adjective
But just as common are the tales of maddening, hourslong waits in overstretched emergency rooms, or weeklong delays just to see a community general practitioner.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2025
What makes Chouinard fascinating—and maddening—is his ability to hold contradictory positions simultaneously.
—Kyle Westaway, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
Even before Task’s plot starts to intensify, Maeve, played by Emilia Jones, finds her situation maddening.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Kalshi’s rise has been maddening to the sportsbooks who jumped through all the regulatory hoops to gain legal approval, as well as the states that are counting on revenue from those sportsbooks.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for maddening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maddening
Adjective
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Filling up your tank can be a frustrating experience in today's economy, and the Sonata Hybrid limits that experience.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Mixed messaging from the federal and state government has been frustrating for recipients.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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A lot of disturbing things happened in The Exorcist — Regan MacNeil's 360 neck turn remains one of the most diabolical things to happen on film — and for its innovations, the 1973 movie scored 10 Oscar nominations.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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With words infallibly falling short, Pritam mingled realism with a fragmentary style of narration that meshes together social encounters, violent episodes, vivid metaphors, disturbing dreams, memories, intimate self-reflections, and introspection on society.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Just a year after the bill was passed, it was rolled back to help pay for tax cuts – infuriating public health officials and anti-tobacco groups.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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The story served as a springboard for a broader discussion about NBA rivalries, performative toughness and why Haliburton can be both charming and infuriating to opponents.—
Darnell Mayberry,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
For Blashill, the Blackhawks’ identity is being really, really annoying.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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Sharon is extremely annoying, but my heart does break for her a tiny bit here.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Perplexity’s image features photographs of people with some truly nightmarish distortions on its wall, while the placement of its sink is confusing and distracting.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
25 Oct. 2025
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This was out of respect for me, and also to avoid confusing the children.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Trump’s tariffs have backfired in numerous ways, including by angering US farmers – a key voting bloc – and creating a rare-earth shortage.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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Following physical and emotional abuse, Lafferty became an anxious child who was constantly afraid of angering adults around her.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Formulated in Korea with natural, non-irritating ingredients suitable for sensitive skin, the face masks are the first example, infusing hydrating and calming ingredients such as Vitamin B12 and aloe.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
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Some viewers find her impulsiveness more irritating than endearing.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Karbler notes that Bigelow resisted that depiction for fear of distracting from the emotional moment.—
Jake Kring-Schreifels,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
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Surprisingly, the injury helped him in this regard by distracting him from overanalyzing his game.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Maddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maddening. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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