addled

adjective

ad·​dled ˈa-dᵊld 

1

: thrown into confusion : confused

his addled brain/mind

… vainly endeavouring to master some task … which, to the addled brain of the crushed boy of nineteen, was a sealed and hopeless mystery.

—Charles Dickens

2

of an egg : rotten, addle

She was romantic, she was sentimental, she had a passion for little secrets and mysteries—a very innocent passion, for her secrets had hitherto always been as unpractical as addled eggs.

—Henry James

Synonyms of addled

• rotten
• spoiled
• decomposed
• decayed
• corrupted

Examples of addled in a Sentence

addled eggs found on a long abandoned hen's nest

one of the more addled audience members confused Ghana with Guyana

Recent Examples on the Web

Lesli Margherita, porting over something of her Tessie Tura, is a reliably addled presence as a woman in love with a star boxer (Evan Tyrone Martin). —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2026

Or will there be a breaking point, a moment when the addled masses reject the logic and speed of our information environment? —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026

To further my humiliation, my smartphone-addled brain included the incorrect frequency and URL. —Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026

Sometimes spliced into proceedings by editors Dávid Jancsó and Ilka Janka Nagy with blink-like brevity, these flashbacks seemingly connote the intrusive thoughts and blackouts of an addled, recuperating mind. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

variant of addle entry 1, with the adjective suffix -ed entry 1

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for addled

• paddled
• saddled
• straddled