madden
Americanverb (used with object)
-
maddens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
maddened,
past participle, past
-
maddening
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
maddens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
maddened,
past participle, past
-
maddening
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
maddensimple
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maddenssimple
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have maddenedperfect
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has maddenedperfect
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am maddeningprogressive
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are maddeningprogressive
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is maddeningprogressive
-
have been maddeningperfect progressive
-
has been maddeningperfect progressive
Past
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maddenedsimple
-
had maddenedperfect
-
was maddeningprogressive
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were maddeningprogressive
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had been maddeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of madden
Explanation
Use the verb madden when something exasperates you or drives you up a wall. Terrible traffic when you're late for an appointment is sure to madden you. If something makes you mad or gets on your nerves, it maddens you. If your dogs tend to madden you, it means that they drive you crazy. When you madden your dogs, you get them so riled up that they run around the house barking. The earliest use of the verb was literally "to make mad or insane," though by the early 1800's it meant "to drive to distraction."
Vocabulary lists containing madden
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Anger (verb)
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The Sound and the Fury: Synonyms for "Anger"
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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.
See Examples For:
Written and directed by the Australian actor Frances O’Connor, making a vibrant feature filmmaking debut, it will surely madden sticklers for accuracy, which is all to the good.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2023
Not the least of Michael’s gifts is the ability to madden other minds.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 12, 2018
The glacier-paced interactions of the actors here may initially madden you; by the end, the sense of the oppressive weight that controls their motions breaks your heart.
From New York Times ● May 22, 2016
Hunger, thirst and the Caribbean sun began to madden and kill them.
From Time Magazine Archive
They must have been things meant not to quiet it but to madden it.
From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis
There are so many music docs particularly about women that are told through this tragic heroine lens, but I wanted to create something that maddens people and makes them angry but also is galvanizing.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2022
Francis has a tendency for making off-the-cuff public remarks, a trait that maddens both supporters and critics alike.
From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2020
Bungling Inspector Clouseau once again seeks the Pink Panther diamond and maddens his boss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2019
Nothing is ever certain with Klinsmann, whose unpredictability maddens U.S. supporters and catches his own players off guard.
From Washington Post ● May 28, 2016
It maddens me that Carlyle refuses to commit to any sort of opinion.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
De Gaulle maddened his British hosts, and particularly Churchill, with his ceaseless complaints and ingratitude.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
Gertrude never quite comes into focus, but the pathos of Ophelia, maddened by grief, is enhanced by the simple yet forceful way Izzard helplessly pounds her chest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2026
Local officials around the state say they have been similarly maddened.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 19, 2021
I just sat there and looked on, maddened and disheartened.
From Washington Post ● May 21, 2018
She maddened the women by touching the baby’s cheek and smiling tenderly at it.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
There is some reason behind the maddening format, introduced after France – who were supposed to host a 16-team men's World Cup last summer – pulled out because of money troubles.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
For the auto industry, this AM radio obsession is maddening.
From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2026
It had been a maddening couple of months as Ohtani battled injuries, slid down the batting order and failed to produce when the Dodgers needed him most — in the postseason.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
The rules did not disappear; they became even more dependent on that maddening instruction: read the room.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
She landed so close she drenched me with water but in her mad run she’d left the bank blind, wanting only to get in the water and away from the maddening flies.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
