Synonyms of addle

addle 1 of 2

adjective

ˈa-dᵊl 

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

• dazed
• bewildered
• distracted
• confused
• dizzy
• stunned
• addled
• raddled
• out of it
• fogged
• silly
• muddleheaded
• at sea
• befogged
• befuddled
• addlepated
• mixed-up
• stupefied
• muzzy
• bemused
• punchy
• dopey
• punch-drunk
• pixilated
• bedeviled
• confounded
• bushed
• slaphappy
• spacey
• unconscious
• shell-shocked
• zonked
• zonked-out
• spaced-out
• senseless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• conscious
• clearheaded
• alert

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

• bewilder
• baffle
• perplex
• confuse
• puzzle
• fuddle
• befuddle
• flummox
• mystify
• disorient
• discombobulate
• fluster
• befog
• stun
• bamboozle
• vex
• rattle
• bemuse
• muddle
• confound
• maze
• gravel
• bother
• disturb
• embarrass
• fox
• pose
• get
• buffalo
• muddy
• beat
• unsettle
• disconcert
• upset
• abash
• blow one's mind
• stick
• agitate
• mortify
• stump
• discompose
• go to one's head
• deceive
• perturb
• delude
• discomfit
• unhinge
• faze
• distress
• cozen
• discountenance
• beguile
• nonplus
• fool
• hoodwink
• mislead
• disquiet
• dupe
• trick
• misguide
• gull
• discomfort
• snow
• humbug
• dismay
• take in
• chagrin
• weird out
• string along
• hoax

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• satisfy
• assure
• inform
• reassure
• enlighten

Example Sentences

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