maddening (of a situation) making one angry, infuriating; (of a person) irritating, provoking The delays can be maddening , he said . The 999 call took a maddening amount of time , but finally the ambulance and the police were on their way . And the maddening part of it is that it 's my own fault . If so , it is really useless to try to change them , however maddening their attitude may be . He grinned with maddening indifference in the face of her fury . Eventually , the woman left , after putting the remaining coins back into her purse with maddening slowness . ` You may be right , ' he agreed with a calm , maddening smile .