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

• bad
• corrupted
• decayed
• decomposed
• putrefied
• putrid
• rotten
• spoiled

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

In the span of about a week, she’s become an icon for our addled times. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2024

Season 4 opens with a slap to the face, which involves the addled actions of slow horse agent River Cartwright’s (Jack Lowden) grandfather David (Jonathan Pryce) — a former MI5 figure with clout. —Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2024

Manipulated audio and visuals clips of Harris spread online Social media users have also posted out-of-context or manipulated videos and audio clips that attempt to paint Harris as addled or rambling. —Julia Ingram, CBS News, 23 July 2024

Both will try to portray the other as corrupt and addled. —Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 25 June 2024

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