madden

/'mædn/

Thân thiện

His constant whistling began to madden his coworker.

Definition

1. Verb (transitive):

   • To make someone extremely angry or furious: To cause intense anger or irritation in a person.
   • To drive someone insane; to cause someone to lose their sanity: To make someone become mentally deranged or crazy.

2. Verb (intransitive, archaic):

   • To become mad or angry: To lose one's temper or sanity (this usage is now rare).

Usage

• As a transitive verb, "madden" is used with a direct object (the person or thing that is made angry or insane).
• It often describes a process or action that provokes a strong, negative emotional or mental state.
• The present participle "maddening" is frequently used as an adjective to describe something that causes such feelings.

Examples

• Transitive Verb:

  • The constant noise from the construction site maddened the residents.
  • His arrogant and dismissive attitude maddens me every time we meet.
  • The sorcerer's curse was said to madden anyone who heard it.

• Adjective (from present participle):

  • The maddening traffic jam made us late for the important meeting.
  • She found his habit of interrupting her with a maddening consistency.

Advanced Usage

• "to be maddened by something": To be driven to anger or frustration by a specific cause.
  • The artist was maddened by the critics' harsh and unfair reviews.
• "maddening pace/slowness": Used to describe an extremely frustrating speed or lack thereof.
  • The maddening slowness of the bureaucratic process tested everyone's patience.

Variants and Related Words

• Maddening (adj.): Causing intense irritation or anger; infuriating.
  • The situation was utterly maddening.
• Maddened (adj.): Describing someone who has been made mad or furious.
  • The maddened crowd began to throw objects.

Synonyms

• Infuriate: To make someone extremely angry.
• Enrage: To provoke to rage or fury.
• Exasperate: To irritate intensely.
• Drive someone crazy: To cause extreme annoyance or mental agitation.

Phrasal Verbs / Related Constructions

(Note: "Madden" itself does not commonly form phrasal verbs. The related concepts are expressed with prepositions like "by" or "with.") - Madden with [something]: To cause madness using a specific means. - The villain sought to madden his enemies with a powerful hallucinogen.

Related Idioms

• Drive someone up the wall: To irritate or annoy someone very much (a near synonym in informal contexts).
  • His constant whistling drives me up the wall.
• Go on someone's nerves: To annoy or irritate someone (similar informal meaning).
  • That screeching sound really goes on my nerves.

Học thuật

Verb

1. make mad
   • His behavior is maddening
2. drive up the wall; go on someone's nerves
3. cause to go crazy; cause to lose one's mind

Từ đồng nghĩa

• craze