madden

American  

[mad-n] / ˈmæd n /

verb (used with object)

1. to anger or infuriate.

   The delays maddened her.

   Synonyms:

   annoy, vex, irritate, exasperate, inflame, anger, enrage, provoke

   Antonyms:

   mollify, calm

2. to make insane.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to become mad; act as if mad; rage.

madden British  

/ ˈmædən /

verb

1. to make or become mad or angry

---

Other Word Forms

• unmaddened adjective

Etymology

Origin of madden

First recorded in 1725–35; mad + -en ¹

Example Sentences

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

It may madden the staff when David directs a segment, because he throws the rules out.

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