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 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 Also, his lack of understanding of how to use a wine key was maddening! Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 6 Oct. 2023 Newsroom humor is twisted, cynical, knowing, ever aware of the maddening gap between how things are and how things should be — but also open to the possibility that the gap can be closed. John Kelly, Washington Post, 20 Dec. 2023 And the country’s bureaucracy can be maddening, with many government processes relying on official paperwork that’s delivered through the mail. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2024 However, since the price of flights being outrageously high and maddening these days, Amazon has joined forces with StudentUniverse to give students some financial relief on flights home. Rudie Obias, Variety, 5 Dec. 2023 Netflix released the fourth season in two parts, which was frankly maddening since the first half ended with one hell of a cliffhanger reveal. Ars Staff, Ars Technica, 29 Dec. 2023

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 18 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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