madden

verb

mad·​den ˈma-dᵊn 

maddened; maddening ˈmad-niŋ 

ˈma-dᵊn-iŋ

intransitive verb

: to become or act as if mad

transitive verb

1

: to disturb or drive mad

2

: to make intensely angry : enrage

Synonyms of madden

• bother
• frenzy
• disturb
• confuse
• derange
• unbalance
• distract
• upset
• annoy
• craze
• unsettle
• crack
• unhinge

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

In an alternate-history 1904, America is still only thirteen colonies, due to the dark forces of maddening angels that warp humans’ minds and bodies. — Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026

Braves third baseman Austin Riley, maddened by a campaign littered with letdowns, got his rewrite. — Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Anthony Richardson possessed almost extraterrestrial talent but maddening inconsistency. — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026

Prices remain high and the roads maddening, but few Mediterranean islands offer so many convincing ways to reach sunrise. — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1704, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for madden

• gladden
• hadden
• sadden
• aladdin
• coumadin

Kids Definition

madden

verb

mad·​den ˈmad-ᵊn 

: to make mad : enrage