madden

madden — 動詞

1. to cause someone to feel extremely irritated or angry, especially when something

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

激怒

使人極度惱怒或生氣

to cause someone to feel extremely irritated or angry, especially when something is repeated, unfair, or beyond their control

例句

The constant noise from the construction site maddened residents of the apartment building.

工地持續不斷的噪音激怒了公寓大樓的住戶。

passive: be maddened by [cause]

What maddens Felix most is that his supervisor never acknowledges the team's hard work.

最讓 Felix 生氣的是，他的主管從不肯定團隊的辛勞。

What maddens + person + most + is + that-clause

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • calm

    opposite emotional direction

  • soothe

    implies actively reducing anger or agitation

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

❌The noise maddened me a little.
✅The noise maddened me.
💡'madden' implies strong anger, not mild irritation. Use 'annoy' for slight feelings.
❌She maddened at the delay.
✅She was maddened by the delay.
💡'madden' is transitive and almost always used in the passive or with an object; it does not take a direct prepositional complement.

2. to cause someone to lose their sanity or mental stability, especially as a resul

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

逼瘋

使人精神失常或發瘋

to cause someone to lose their sanity or mental stability, especially as a result of extreme suffering, trauma, or prolonged pressure

例句

The isolation of the polar winter nearly maddened the early explorers.

極地冬季的孤立環境幾乎把早期的探險家逼瘋。

adverb: nearly madden

Grief maddened Lakan to the point where he could no longer recognize his friends.

悲傷把 Lakan 逼到連最親近的朋友都認不出來的程度。

madden + to the point where + clause

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • soothe

    implies calming the mind back to stability

  • comfort

    suggests emotional relief rather than mental restoration

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'.

常見錯誤

❌The horror movie maddened me.
✅The horror movie terrified me.
💡'madden' means to cause actual insanity or a complete breakdown, not just fear or excitement.