Dictionary

maddeningly en · ADV

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree English maddening Middle English -ly English -ly English maddeningly From maddening + -ly.

Meanings

1. In a maddening manner.
   • Hardman ran to the corner and jumped into a trishaw. The driver was maddeningly slow and stupid. 1958, Anthony Burgess, The Enemy in the Blanket (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 378:
   • Using her hands like windshield wipers, she tried to flick snow away from her mouth. When she clawed at her chest and neck, the crumbs maddeningly slid back onto her face. She grew claustrophobic. 2012, John Branch, “Snow Fall : The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek”, in New York Times:
   • Walking back to the little wooden bungalow, Bond picked up his first sandfly bites. Quarrel chuckled when he saw the flat bumps on his back that would soon start to itch maddeningly. 1954, Ian Fleming, “The Undertaker's Wind”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 185:
   • Precise herbed-lamb packets amid art nouveau swirls of asparagus noodles, a lacy tuile that adds a peekaboo seductivity to potato gnocchi — [Anthony] Martin’s presentations are bold and beautiful, yet his flavor pairings are almost maddeningly subtle, driving overanalytical foodies to despair. 2011 January 13, Phil Vettel, “Chef of the Year: Anthomy Martin”, in Chicago Tribune, 164th year, number 13, section 5, page 4:

Forms