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

• 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

That comes into play for her when she’s kidnapped by a pair of conspiracy-addled cousins (Plemons and Aidan Delbis), who believe Stone’s character is a member of an alien race that has secretly been pushing Earth toward destruction. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025

Among the notable new names set to walk the halls of the ennui-addled series are Natasha Lyonne, Eli Roth, YouTube icon Trisha Paytas, True Blood star Sam Trammell, and Till luminary Danielle Deadwyler. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025

Noah is a debt-addled, nerdy middle-aged who feels totally emasculated by his inability to get a project off the ground. —Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 11 Sep. 2025

In fact, all six of this year’s contenders are first-time Emmy nominees, including Deirdre O’Connell, who played Oz Cobb’s addled mother Francis on HBO’s The Penguin, and Ruth Negga, for playing Rusty’s wife Barbara on Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent. —Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 28 Aug. 2025

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