addle 1 of 2

adjective

ˈa-dᵊl How to pronounce addle (audio)
Definition of addlenext
as in dazed
suffering from mental confusion my brain grew more and more addle as I made my way through the tax instructions

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

addle

2 of 2

verb

as in to bewilder
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty after slipping on the ice, Bethany was so addled that she left her groceries where they'd fallen

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of addle
Adjective
Soon enough, the foursome are in the back of that truck in an adventure that begins as a moneymaking scheme and promises to become a heroic journey into the heart of white supremacy at its most virulent and addle-minded. — Ann Hornaday, Twin Cities, 25 July 2019
Verb
One is addled by paranoia and extremism, the other knows only heartless corporate speak. — Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025 By 1971, with the band addled by drug use and internal strife, Sly and the Family Stone would increasingly lose tour bookings and fail to produce music that matched the songs of just a few years prior. — Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 10 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for addle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for addle
  1. dazed
  2. bewilder
  3. bewildered
  4. baffle
  5. distracted
  6. perplex
  7. confused
  8. confuse
Adjective
  • Garcia, meanwhile, had nothing to compare her first season to, and still sounded a little dazed despite shooting having finished months ago.
    — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 9 July 2026
  • Nina emerges, dazed but uninjured, her cellphone intact, her boyfriend Ben vanished.
    — Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026
Definition of dazed
Verb
  • As fans of the comedian know, Ali G is a streetwise interviewer whose hip hop slang often bewilders guests such as Noam Chomsky, Andy Rooney and Newt Gingrich.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 7 July 2026
  • But these casting decisions are bewildering, to say the least, and will certainly cost the film ticket sales and potential revenue.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of bewilder
Adjective
  • Away from the bewildered rancher calling out in surprise, away from the Appaloosa.
    — Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
  • Massachusetts State Police ushered thousands of bewildered attendees into the tunnel.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Definition of bewildered
Verb
  • While Loathe’s baffling compositional choices may jump out first, the album’s most glaring flaw is its production.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026
  • Meanwhile, McGrew agreed to adjustments, including adding baffles to reduce sound from a attached generator for the tower and replacing tower fencing that incorporated barbed wire with taller, more natural looking fencing.
    — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
Definition of baffle
Adjective
  • Trump has pioneered a style of communication that exploits our distracted, disputatious age.
    — Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • Investigators don’t believe that the driver was intoxicated, but distracted driving has not been ruled out as a potential cause of the accident, according to police.
    — Mary Ella Hastings July 6, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 July 2026
Definition of distracted
Verb
  • Workers at Doherty Staffing Solutions were perplexed when strangers started calling the office in response to recruitment texts — texts the firm never sent.
    — Bill Lukitsch, Boston Herald, 13 July 2026
  • The Wiener Kitchen diners weren’t the only Kansas Citians perplexed by this description.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026
Definition of perplex
Adjective
  • Other borrowers are confused over the Biden administration’s failed loan forgiveness effort.
    — Nicky Forster, Fortune, 20 July 2026
  • The Doomsday trailer, however, is light on plot and heavy on guys looking across rooms at each other and nodding or looking slightly confused.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Definition of confused
Verb
  • The Blazers say a handshake agreement with Mayor Keith Wilson, the city and the county was made in March, and are confused why there has been a shift.
    — Jason Quick, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • The figure who experiences every prompt to begin the process as a threat rather than a relief has confused the cause with the self.
    — Michael Sonnenfeldt, Fortune, 19 July 2026
Definition of confuse

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Cite this Entry

“Addle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/addle. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of addle for Spanish Speakers

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