Maddening

/ˈmæd.ən.ɪŋ/

Meaning & Definition

adjective

Extremely annoying or frustrating.

The maddening noise from the construction site kept her from concentrating on her work.

Causing great exasperation.

His maddening habit of interrupting me made it difficult to have a conversation.

Making one feel compelled to react with anger or frustration.

The maddening delay at the airport tested everyone's patience.

Contributing to a sense of irritation or distress.

She found the maddening complexity of the puzzle to be both challenging and exhilarating.

From the verb 'mad', meaning to make crazy, plus the suffix '-ening' indicating a process or result.

maddeningly slow

describes something that takes an excessively long time and is frustrating.

maddening detail

refers to overly complex information that frustrates rather than helps.

maddening repetition

indicates a tiresome reiteration of the same point or action.

mad

feeling or showing strong annoyance or anger.

anger

a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility.

frustration

the feeling of being upset or annoyed as a result of being unable to change or achieve something.

driving me crazy

This noise is driving me crazy; it's maddening!

getting on my nerves

Her constant questions are getting on my nerves; it's so maddening!