maddening

American  

[mad-n-ing] / ˈmæd n ɪŋ /

adjective

1. driving to madness or frenzy.

   a maddening thirst.

2. infuriating or exasperating.

   his maddening indifference to my pleas.

3. raging; furious.

   a maddening wind.

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maddening British  

/ ˈmædənɪŋ /

adjective

1. serving to send mad

2. extremely annoying; exasperating

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Other Word Forms

• maddeningly
  adverb
• maddeningness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of maddening

First recorded in 1735–45; madden + -ing ²

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

“It’s the most maddening thing,” he told Nguyen.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

During testing, I ran into another maddening keyboard quirk, where I tapped the right letters but iOS spit out the wrong ones.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

Making matters more maddening, replacement units appear to be in short supply.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Gates has assembled a stimulating, illuminating, maddening, saddening, but often inspiring, story of their relations with the world and one another.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

Now whatever befell he was going to be there to witness it, with those mocking blue eyes and that maddening cool amusement.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare

Related Words

• aggravating
• annoying
• exasperating
• frustrating
• infuriating
• troubling