madden
madden — verb
1. to cause someone to feel extremely irritated or angry, especially when something
to cause someone to feel extremely irritated or angry, especially when something is repeated, unfair, or beyond their control
The constant noise from the construction site maddened residents of the apartment building.
passive: be maddened by [cause]
What maddens Felix most is that his supervisor never acknowledges the team's hard work.
What maddens + person + most + is + that-clause
The slow internet connection maddened Élise as she tried to finish her report.
It maddens Soraya to see her neighbours leaving trash in the hallway every day.
William was maddened by the airline's refusal to refund his cancelled flight.
- infuriate
similar intensity but more about provoking wild anger; from Latin 'furia' (rage)
- enrage
stronger than madden; implies the person is filled with rage
- exasperate
slightly milder; emphasises irritation that stretches patience to the limit
文法句型
madden + person
madden + person + by + doing
it maddens + person + that-clause
it maddens + person + to-infinitive
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive (be maddened by/at) or with a dummy-it construction (It maddens me that/to…). More intense than 'annoy' and implies frustration that builds from repeated or unfair causes.
常見錯誤
2. to cause someone to lose their sanity or mental stability, especially as a resul
to cause someone to lose their sanity or mental stability, especially as a result of extreme suffering, trauma, or prolonged pressure
The isolation of the polar winter nearly maddened the early explorers.
adverb: nearly madden
Grief maddened Lakan to the point where he could no longer recognize his friends.
madden + to the point where + clause
The constant interrogations maddened Luca, clouding his thoughts with fear.
Talia's family feared that the trauma of the war had permanently maddened her.
- derange
more clinical or literary; implies a disturbance of the mind
- unhinge
suggests an emotional break, often temporary; slightly informal
- drive insane
more conversational and literal; used in everyday language
文法句型
madden + person
be maddened + by + extreme_suffering
nearly madden + person
用法筆記
Carries a sense of prolonged or severe suffering that overwhelms the mind. More literary than 'make crazy' and rare in everyday conversation. Often used with modifiers like 'nearly', 'almost', or 'permanently'.