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
Theater Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 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
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
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
-
This new dating trend is leaving people baffled and heartbroken.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
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But he was baffled as to why people are now incensed over pickleball courts.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Cleaning up bird seed, spoiled fruit, and other easy sources of food is the best way to reduce rodent problems and deter the ticks that use rodents as hosts.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 June 2026
-
Taken together, the blank or spoiled ballots would have comfortably won the April vote, and the blank votes alone would have beaten thirty-four of the thirty-five candidates.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Kelli cries over how solid the Mwangi unit is, praising Gerald as a father and husband and affirming that Shamea’s ass is real, while everyone else looks on, bewildered.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Both the National Weather Service of Miami and the Florida Keys said there was no cause for alarm and no tsunami threat, but that didn’t stop confused Floridians from taking to social media and neighborhood Facebook groups to ask if anyone else felt something similar.—
Kairi Lowery,
Miami Herald,
8 June 2026
-
Hull played her first two rounds at 3 over, squeezing under the cut by one stroke while saying she had been confused by the speed of the greens.—
Greg Beacham,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 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
-
If someone feels rushed, awkward, distracted or overly analyzed, their answers often become guarded and surface-level.—
King Holder,
Rolling Stone,
4 June 2026
-
Out of those, 46 of the crashes involving distracted driving were fatal.—
Finch Walker,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Addled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/addled. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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