1
as in rotten
having undergone organic breakdown
addled eggs found on a long abandoned hen's nest
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of addled
Joel Mathis,
TheWeek,
30 Apr. 2026
Instead, director Weston Scott’s concept deepens the text, making the addled, voice-hearing brain that could commit or attempt assassination all the more real and dangerous.
—
Theater Critic,
San Francisco Chronicle,
29 Mar. 2026
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
Adjective
Now, parents are pushing back and demanding less screen time and more analog work for their algorithm-addled kids.
—
Joel Mathis,
TheWeek,
30 Apr. 2026
Instead, director Weston Scott’s concept deepens the text, making the addled, voice-hearing brain that could commit or attempt assassination all the more real and dangerous.
—
Theater Critic,
San Francisco Chronicle,
29 Mar. 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
Adjective
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Consequently, between Dick’s stubborn disposition and the fun the Indians had, Dick never worked much and was spoiled rotten.
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Hydrogen sulfide smells like rotten eggs and ammonia gives off notes of urine, sweat or dead fish.
Adjective
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Humans of all ages, in fact, stare dazed into glowing screens.
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Rapkin, truth be told, looked a little dazed.
Verb
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His mother, Ahmani Hicks, describes him as a kid who loved sports, and she's baffled as to why her son was targeted.
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Known as the Galactic Center Excess, a spherical gamma-ray glow extending out for thousands of light-years from the core of our galaxy, this high-energy light has baffled researchers for over a decade.
Adjective
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Moore cautioned people with lung issues or smoke sensitivity to avoid outdoor activities, but said crews have mitigated the hazardous-materials portion of the blaze and are now focused on the biohazard portion posed by spoiled food.
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However, officials remain concerned about biohazards potentially posed by spoiled food, including bread, poultry, pork and beef.
Adjective
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At the risk of sounding less like a columnist and more like a bewildered bystander … what the heck happened?
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Urged by a call from Hugo to destroy her phone and flee Kansas City fast, before WARDEX can get to her, Margaret also hits the road, accompanied initially by a bewildered Jackson.
Verb
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It's called cognitive empathy, not to be confused with emotional empathy.
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So The Listeners — not to be confused with 2022’s The Listener starring Tessa Thompson and you in a voice role — is just now reaching the States.
Adjective
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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.
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Inspectors also found a decomposed rat in the basement.
Adjective
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The proper fit will ensure that your pet remains comfortable and doesn’t become distracted by efforts to remove the collar.
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The stadium, packed to the brim with more than 82,000 fans, reverberated with stunned murmurs as Morocco’s Ismael Saibari snuck behind a distracted Brazil defense and chipped home a beautiful goal over goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s head to open the scoring in the 22nd minute.
Cite this Entry
“Addled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/addled. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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