maddening
Americanadjective
-
driving to madness or frenzy.
a maddening thirst.
-
infuriating or exasperating.
his maddening indifference to my pleas.
-
raging; furious.
a maddening wind.
adjective
-
serving to send mad
-
extremely annoying; exasperating
Other Word Forms
- maddeningly adverb
- maddeningness noun
Etymology
Origin of maddening
Explanation
Maddening things are extremely irritating: they make you mad. Some drivers have the maddening habit of following other cars too closely on the highway. If something annoys you a lot, it's maddening. You might try to ignore the maddening tune your sister keeps whistling, or decide to leave a movie half way through because of the maddening acting style of its leading man. The adjective maddening comes from the less-common verb madden, "annoy someone," or "drive someone insane." Both words are rooted in the Old English gemædde, "out of one's mind."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The museum’s new building, designed by Peter Zumthor, is as audacious in its conception as it is maddening to navigate.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
“It’s the most maddening thing,” he told Nguyen.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
Yet here comes Maye, the guileless face behind the most maddening revival in sports.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
Played when other nations have already started their preparation for the T20 World Cup, this trio of fixtures felt like another maddening quirk of a packed international schedule.
From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026
The delay was maddening, absurd, the hourglass long ago upended.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.