addled 1 of 2

adjective

ˈa-dᵊld How to pronounce addled (audio)
Definition of addlednext
1
as in rotten
having undergone organic breakdown addled eggs found on a long abandoned hen's nest

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dazed
suffering from mental confusion one of the more addled audience members confused Ghana with Guyana

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addled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of addle
as in baffled
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

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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 addled
Adjective
In 2023, Hollywood released 29 sequels, as many as some of the peak years, and even released 25 sequels in the pandemic-addled 2021. — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 10 Aug. 2026 In these novels, the main character has been so absurdly addled by a (late-revealed) trauma that everyday human interactions are wildly aglow with (at first) terror or (later) manic-pixie wonder. — Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
Verb
An environment addled by politics isn’t one most CEOs relish, Griffin, 57, told the Wall Street Journal’s Invest Live conference yesterday. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026 That decision, even if only for exploratory purposes, should be left to a Congress whose majority isn’t addled by either devotion to Trump or fear of him. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for addled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for addled
  1. rotten
  2. dazed
  3. baffled
  4. spoiled
  5. bewildered
  6. confused
  7. decomposed
  8. distracted
Adjective
  • Over the last decade, local government warehouses meant to store emergency food supplies have been found empty or filled with rotten supplies, largely because of corruption.
    — JOEL WUTHNOW, Foreign Affairs, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Since January 2023, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has received more than 28,000 complaints, many of which describe the foul smell as rotten, putrid and stomach-churning.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of rotten
Adjective
  • But the man simply stood there with a dazed expression on his face, swaying gently in the living room of their small, cramped flat, like a lone tree in the breeze.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Laiken Randolph appeared dazed, and possibly on drugs, officers remarked.
    — Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of dazed
Verb
  • Lucy comes downstairs, baffled by what’s going on as he’s taken away.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • To me, Neil Simon’s comedy is a masterclass in the architecture of laughter, and I’ve long been baffled that this extraordinary play hasn’t received a major revival in recent years.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of baffled
Adjective
  • Becoming sick from eating spoiled yogurt is uncommon, but yogurt can grow harmful microbes when left out of refrigeration or kept too long.
    — Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 31 Oct. 2026
  • When Harry boosts a USB crypto wallet from a brazen young criminal and spoiled rich kid, Dylan (Will Price), Ben has no idea what to do with it—plugging it into his circa-1995 desktop personal computer sends the machine into a tailspin.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of spoiled
Adjective
  • The Heat awoke Tuesday as the NBA’s only 0-4 team and thoroughly bewildered about how a group that fashioned itself a contender could continue to perform so poorly.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Darren Foote, a fellow veteran who helped organize the festivities, told the BBC that Filer was somewhat bewildered by all the attention.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of bewildered
Verb
  • The possibility of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe should not be confused with evidence that extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth, Kirkpatrick said.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Saturday’s opener started with a couple taking an amusement park ride, only to be confused by Pumpkins’ appearance in what was supposed to be a scary attraction.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of confused
Adjective
  • Two decomposed bodies have been found within five days at a park in western North Carolina, and both cases are classified as murders, according to investigators.
    — Mark Price July 26, Charlotte Observer, 26 July 2026
  • At a time when the Earth was bare, when there were no vertebrates, no trees, no leaves, no flowering plants, and no plants with seeds, millipedes were feeding on decaying mosses, decomposed slime, and primordial gunk.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026
Definition of decomposed
Adjective
  • Its opposition to intense Pluto could make a distracted response sting more than expected.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Five years earlier my brother had gotten married, leaving me home alone without the buffers of his distracted affection, his big brotherly insouciance, his rebellious indifference to the emotional chasm widening between our parents.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of distracted

Browse Nearby Words

addle
addled
addlepated
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Cite this Entry

“Addled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/addled. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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