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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of addled
Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
With his brow perennially furrowed and hair slicked with sweat, Riley has the exact look and bearing of a suavely addled wrong-man figure from British thrillers of yore — and thus makes a suitably bemused proxy for the viewers in this wasteland of mounting chaos and absurdity.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Aug. 2025
Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for addled
Adjective
How the inextricable combinations of lyrical narratives and distortion-addled arrangements served as salient commentaries on authoritarian power and artificial intelligence, as well as science denialism, knee-bending capitulation and unrestrained wealth.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
With his brow perennially furrowed and hair slicked with sweat, Riley has the exact look and bearing of a suavely addled wrong-man figure from British thrillers of yore — and thus makes a suitably bemused proxy for the viewers in this wasteland of mounting chaos and absurdity.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Aug. 2025
Verb
One is addled by paranoia and extremism, the other knows only heartless corporate speak.
—Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for addled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for addled
Adjective
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Learn how to banish that rotten egg smell from your washer while keeping it fresh, clean, and odor-free.—
Lauren Bengtson,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Oct. 2025
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But toss everything into a cauldron and the end result is a rotten stew of the Beavers’ own making.—
Jon Wilner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Glancing around the standing-room-only party, filled with joyful hugs and happy chatter as guests drank spicy margaritas and nibbled on fries in paper cones printed with quotes from the book, a dazed Brown smiled.—
Hadley Meares,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
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In one of the film’s least subtle moments, a dazed Bruce is startled to attention.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Played for comic relief, he is baffled by this son of his who attends college and, more perplexing yet, is suddenly obsessed with Italy and cycling.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
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Physicists were baffled as to why this material would suddenly stop conducting current once the tellurium content reached approximately 30 percent—a change that its basic chemical composition could not explain.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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With an increasing amount of people choosing to get pets instead of having children, furbabies across the country are becoming more and more spoiled.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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Following her time playing the eldest Banks (and the most spoiled) child, Parsons acted in shows like Lush Life and The Job, and in films like The Ladies Man and 13 Moons.—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Sholder appeared in the documentary and seemed more bewildered about all of this than anything else.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
31 Oct. 2025
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The canine, clearly confused, stared up, visibly bewildered and waiting patiently for the affection to finally land.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The lot of us, dressed in our finery, descend upon the event, bidding a quick hello to Ronson and earning some stares from the upstate locals, confused by our presence—and matching outfits.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
30 Oct. 2025
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Her daughter was confused, and eventually asked Nasser for an explanation as to what had been said.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The decomposed body found in singer D4vd's Tesla at a Los Angeles impound lot was identified as that of a 15-year-old girl.—
Christian Orozco,
NBC news,
18 Sep. 2025
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McCormack’s decomposed body was found in a pink suitcase near Missouri Highway 59 between Lanagan, Missouri, and Noel, Missouri, on July 29, 2019, according to the plea agreement.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Better, but invites distracted glances with every notification.—
Li Goldstein,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
25 Oct. 2025
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Nor can it be ruled out that China, while normally cautious, might instead act decisively against Taiwan at a point of crisis for Kyiv, since the West would likely be more distracted.—
Lyle Goldstein,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Addled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/addled. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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