Meanings
-
1
verb
to make someone extremely angry, annoyed, or frustrated
The constant buzzing began to madden everyone in the room.
-
2
verb
to drive someone insane or into a state of wild excitement; often literary
Grief seemed to madden the isolated king.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English madden, related to Old English gemaeded 'rendered insane,' the participle of a lost Germanic verb meaning 'make mad or foolish.' The word belongs to the same family as mad and has no connection with the Irish surname Madden.