Madden means to make someone extremely angry or frustrated. When something maddens you, it drives you to the edge of your patience, like when you're trying to solve a puzzle and keep making the same mistake over and over, or when your little brother keeps poking you even after you've asked him to stop.

The word suggests intense, building frustration that makes you want to shout or throw your hands up in the air. A mosquito buzzing around your ear at night maddens you. Waiting in a long line while the person at the front counts out pennies might madden you. In stories, villains often try to madden heroes by taunting them or laying traps that almost work but don't quite.