madden

verb

mad·​den ˈma-dᵊn How to pronounce madden (audio)
maddened; maddening ˈmad-niŋ How to pronounce madden (audio)
ˈma-dᵊn-iŋ

intransitive verb

: to become or act as if mad

transitive verb

1
: to drive mad : craze
2
: to make intensely angry : enrage

Examples of madden in a Sentence

the endless swarms of mosquitoes all but maddened the explorers her perpetual tardiness maddened her friends to no end
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Don’t let that maddening 2,031-horsepower number blind you; Hennessey’s Maverick division is all about making something incredibly personal. New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2025 What makes this crisis particularly maddening is that much of the demand driving infrastructure to breaking point shouldn't exist. Tomás O’Leary, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025 Their continued maddening play hardly comes at an ideal time. Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2025 Getty While the passport incident is maddening enough on its own, the broader context adds to the surreal nature of the ordeal. Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for madden

Word History

First Known Use

1704, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of madden was in 1704

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Madden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/madden. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

madden

verb
mad·​den ˈmad-ᵊn How to pronounce madden (audio)
: to make mad : enrage

More from Merriam-Webster on madden

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