maddening

adjective

mad·​den·​ing ˈmad-niŋ How to pronounce maddening (audio)
ˈma-dᵊn-iŋ
1
: tending to craze
2
a
: tending to infuriate
b
: tending to vex : irritating
maddeningly
ˈmad-niŋ-lē How to pronounce maddening (audio)
ˈma-dᵊn-iŋ-
adverb

Examples of maddening in a Sentence

He has a maddening habit of interrupting other people. She shows a maddening inability to control her children.
Recent Examples on the Web The Kings have lost a number of games this season due to their maddening tendency to play down to the level of competition against shorthanded opponents. Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 27 Feb. 2024 What swing voters remember To many Democrats, the idea of Trump as a candidate of stability is maddening. David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024 The twists and turns were gut-wrenching, thrilling and perhaps even maddening, to say the least, but Serra ultimately survived after 80 minutes of regulation, 20 minutes of overtime and five rounds of penalty kicks. Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2024 And the maddening thing about it is that the White House is allowing all this. Liz Cheney, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2024 In her debut novel, Zaher draws a Venn diagram of the glamorously neurotic and the politically oppressed, then sets her protagonist spinning in that maddening little overlap. Vulture, 2 Jan. 2024 Their desire for his affection seemed to stretch past romance toward some platonic ideal, an all-consuming friendship with a maddening hold. Hazlitt, 28 Feb. 2024 For now, though, China is doing a surprisingly nimble job of keeping FX traders guessing in maddening ways. William Pesek, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Google Maps can be amazing — and often maddening — for driving directions. Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maddening.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1743, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of maddening was circa 1743

Dictionary Entries Near maddening

Cite this Entry

“Maddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maddening. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

maddening

adjective
mad·​den·​ing
ˈmad-niŋ,
-ᵊn-iŋ
: that irritates or angers
a maddening habit
maddeningly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on maddening

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