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
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
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Recent Examples of addle
Ann Hornaday, Twin Cities, 25 July 2019
Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 10 June 2025
The surfer is increasingly addled by visions that come to him in harrowing split-second blackouts.
—Glenn Kenny, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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
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
The surfer is increasingly addled by visions that come to him in harrowing split-second blackouts.
—Glenn Kenny, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for addle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for addle
Adjective
-
When Sneaky Snook in his mail truck happened upon the wreckage near the boundary of Meredith Downs, sheep were scattered along the roadside and the fence, bleating, dazed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Still, some songs can disrupt our dazed habit of barely listening and give us something to participate in.—
Mitch Therieau,
New Yorker,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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McNutt housed some 700 kids — about one-third of the population of French Lick — and Bird found the campus outside the dormitory walls bewildering.—
Keith O'Brien,
Rolling Stone,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Even a principled, well-meaning actor like Claude could face bewildering ethical conflicts.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Olivier tried successfully to get the reader to understand how a gentle, pacific young man could come to kill more than a thousand people, and so capturing the tone and empathetic portrayal not only of Simo Häyhä and his colleagues but also of the often-bewildered Russian soldiers was essential.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The usually positive Gauff went negative, lacked energy and seemed bewildered and overwhelmed.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
One administrator told me that he was baffled, but that the embassy staff seemed confident that something would come of it.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Books like this can frustrate and baffle.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And disrupted sleep can spell distracted or fatigued driving.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Gatz attributed the increases to excessive speed and distracted driving.—
Barbara Hoberock,
Oklahoma Voice,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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These are the brutally real snapshots of a man well acquainted with—but still perplexed by—the powerful and destructive forces that lord over our lives.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Hour said he was perplexed by his liberal friends expressing their condolences.—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
New parking regulations in the Strip District However, Federal Street isn't the only place leaving drivers confused.—
John Shumway,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Before long, a confused Sage ran away from home.—
TIME Staff,
Time,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the fall of 2023, Yanxiao joined Tsinghua University, where his research confused professors who were accustomed to more conventional disciplinary lines.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
-
But the notice sent last spring was so vague and confusing that few people used it to object.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Addle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/addle. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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