1
as in to bother
to cause to go insane or as if insane
the endless swarms of mosquitoes all but maddened the explorers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to infuriate
to make angry
her perpetual tardiness maddened her friends to no end
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of madden
It’s been maddening to watch a lineup full of high-end hitters come up empty night after night in April, a month that has felt as long as about three.
—
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
Thankfully, this beautiful vista isn’t marred by maddening crowds.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2026
This is the premise of The Exit 8, a Japanese video game made by Kotake Create that, as the millions who played it will attest, turns a commuter’s endless circling into a thrilling, maddening first-person-shooter minus the shooting.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2026
The science of color is also maddening for the same reason.
—Kory Stamper, Longreads, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for madden
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
Thankfully, this beautiful vista isn’t marred by maddening crowds.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2026
This is the premise of The Exit 8, a Japanese video game made by Kotake Create that, as the millions who played it will attest, turns a commuter’s endless circling into a thrilling, maddening first-person-shooter minus the shooting.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2026
The science of color is also maddening for the same reason.
—Kory Stamper, Longreads, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for madden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for madden
Verb
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This was a club that embraced African players before much of Europe bothered to scout the continent seriously.—
Zohran Mamdani,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
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In my dream world where Emmys voters bother to watch Bait, Khan is a shoo-in.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Union Pacific hasn’t commented publicly on the president’s remarks, but risks infuriating the president by denying them privately to investors all the same.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
1 June 2026
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Those exemptions — and the government stipends many seminary students receive up to the age of 26 — have infuriated many Israelis.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Star forward Sardar Azmoun was dropped in March, reportedly because of a social media post that angered Iranian authorities during the war.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
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Butler’s refusal to attend the hearing frustrated and angered several of Sheron’s supporters present for the hearing Wednesday.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Most were for assault of police officers while other allegations include theft, vandalism and disturbing the public order.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
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Regardless, there’s a clear symbolism to Clark empathizing and embracing a bloated externalization of his own inchoate fury until someone with an outside perspective disturbs his peace, and that fury breaks loose and devours him.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The back-and-forth with the hospital and the insurer enraged Wood.—
Katy Golvala,
Hartford Courant,
1 June 2026
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One quick way to enrage a room of people leaders?—
Kristin Stoller,
Fortune,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Instead, the ideologues of Russian imperialism have turned to random musings and belligerent hate speech, which seems intended to confuse rather than convince.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
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Relocating a bird's nest is confusing for the parents, dangerous for the eggs, and, in most cases, against the law.—
Blythe Copeland,
Martha Stewart,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Ever been annoyed after Windows setup that your user folder has a weird name?—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
28 May 2026
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The suspension is a nice blend between comfort and sport—the sweet spot where breaks in the asphalt don’t annoy, yet body roll never feels excessive.—
Michael Harley,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Only sick, demented, or deranged people in the House or Senate could vote against THE SAVE AMERICA ACT.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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For all their faults, looksmaxxers are intent on de-fetishizing this particular commodity, revealing beauty to be the product of strenuous (and often deranging) labor.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Madden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/madden. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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