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
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2026
Or will there be a breaking point, a moment when the addled masses reject the logic and speed of our information environment?
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 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
Lesli Margherita, porting over something of her Tessie Tura, is a reliably addled presence as a woman in love with a star boxer (Evan Tyrone Martin).
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2026
Or will there be a breaking point, a moment when the addled masses reject the logic and speed of our information environment?
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 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
-
Anyone on the market for a new house over the past six years has had rotten luck.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
-
Advocates say the rotten food and lack of basic medical care is so bad some detainees are even on a hunger strike.—
Nick Caloway,
CBS News,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
This led to a surreal sight at 5-0 in the fourth set, with Safiullin flat on his back receiving treatment for a hip injury while a dazed Ruud tried to revive himself with an ice towel.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
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Moments later, dazed residents staggered out as others rushed in to help.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
Cannonball Concretions Perfectly round rock formations in the North Unit baffled scientists for years.—
Julia Sayers Gokhale,
Midwest Living,
1 June 2026
-
While some were baffled by the posts amid Bear’s claims, others pointed out the ability to schedule posts, depending on the type of account.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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Tensions first escalated over Memorial Day weekend when hundreds of detainees went on a hunger strike to protest spoiled food and wretched conditions, some of their lawyers said.—
Gloria Pazmino,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
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Rebellions were common and pitted spoiled students against helpless teachers.—
Thomas Adam,
The Conversation,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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Karl-Anthony Towns, who was on the podium with him, took off his glasses and looked at his teammate with a bewildered expression.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
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Everyone was so relieved to see how bewildered everyone else was that the feeling in this place was almost festive.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Using a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer, for example, the spectral biosignatures of carbon dioxide and methane may overlap, leading to the gasses being confused with each other and signs of life being dismissed or lost.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
1 June 2026
-
Brown women artists are often confused with anthropologists.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Inspectors also found a decomposed rat in the basement.—
Mamie Bah,
CBS News,
15 May 2026
-
Inside was a decomposed head and torso.—
Laura Payne,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
The stage then ended with a shock victory for the breakaway, with an undecorated quartet holding off a distracted peloton by 10 seconds — Uno-X Mobility’s Fredrik Dversnes winning the sprint.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
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Ardito said inattentive or distracted drivers are a serious hazard for cyclists trying to share the road, regardless of whether there are bike lanes.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Addled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/addled. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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