riddled

verb

past tense of riddle
1
as in drilled
to make a hole or series of holes in several signs along the highway were riddled by buckshot

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in suffused
to spread throughout the newspaper exposé revealed a gaming commission that is riddled with corruption

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 riddled Marcee Gray, the defendant’s estranged wife, testified their son was riddled with anxiety, easily agitated and had panic attacks. — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 30 July 2026 The dough is thinner, and crisper than an Argentine empanada, with an amber, wonton-like crust riddled with bubbles. — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026 The narrative then jumps forward to a time in the distant future in a segregated Britain, where Black people are condemned to a ghetto riddled with drugs and ruled by gangs. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 29 July 2026 Holes aren’t even the worst of their problems; many of the garments are increasingly riddled with mold, blood or worse. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 27 July 2026 King argued that the United States was a country riddled with political and ideological mechanisms of violence. — Literary Hub, 27 July 2026 The goal is to kill the incentive to spam in the first place, while also cutting out the résumé-screening stage entirely—a step Chait says is riddled with bias and adds roughly six days to the hiring process for little real benefit. — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 27 July 2026 The Warriors have long fallen off their lofty perch above the rest of the league since winning the 2022 title, and recently suffered through a 37-45 season riddled with injuries. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 24 July 2026 Wells' parents say the tragedy is riddled with conflicting stories and missing details. — ABC News, 22 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riddled
  1. drilled
  2. suffused
  3. pierced
  4. penetrated
  5. punched
  6. permeated
  7. punctured
  8. flooded
Verb
  • Knight then drilled Omega headfirst onto the TNT title for a nearfall.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Julio Rodríguez popped out on the first pitch before Canzone drilled a 2-0 splitter about 20 rows up.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 July 2026
Definition of drilled
Verb
  • The threat is still there, suffused into the air like a memory, but for a time the choice between love and survival no longer feels mutually exclusive to Nino and Yasmina.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 22 July 2026
  • Good binoculars will reveal a score of stars in this little group, while long-exposure observatory photographs show about 1000 in the area — all suffused in great clouds and streamers of nebulous light.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of suffused
Verb
  • According to the artist who made it, John Buckley, and the owner of the home pierced by the shark, Bill Heine, the work was meant as a protest against the recent bombing of Libya, nuclear power and nuclear war, among other things.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
  • In his season of DWTS, Irwin opened up about navigating grief after the death of his father Steve Irwin, who died in 2006 after being pierced by a stingray barb.
    — Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026
Definition of pierced
Verb
  • If the droppings have penetrated the paint itself, however, wet sanding or repainting may be necessary.
    — Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 25 July 2026
  • Karlsson claimed that she was later taken to meet Marie in Paris, who allegedly digitally penetrated her.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 22 July 2026
Definition of penetrated
Verb
  • After arriving, the two got into an argument, during which Eason alleges Rodriguez punched him in the face with a closed fist.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026
  • Police say that Salgado punched the victim and slammed him to the pavement.
    — Abby Dodge, CBS News, 30 July 2026
Definition of punched
Verb
  • Despite being confined to her bed, covered in tubes, tangled in wires, despite being separated by gloves and masks and isolation gowns, our laughter permeated all those barriers.
    — Anna Tsioulias, STAT, 29 July 2026
  • In 2025, anxiety permeated Indianapolis as the All-Star Weekend kicked off a contentious period of CBA negotiations.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 26 July 2026
Definition of permeated
Verb
  • More broadly, Iran’s attacks have also punctured confidence and security in the Gulf, disrupting tourism and air travel in a key global transport node, and prompting some expats to flee.
    — Jomana Karadsheh, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
  • Three people were arrested Saturday after Antioch police officers found them with guns and nearly two dozen ounces of marijuana outside a car punctured with bullet holes, police said.
    — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 20 July 2026
Definition of punctured
Verb
  • The main bedroom and balcony overlook a wooden garden; inside, the interiors are flooded with light.
    — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 31 July 2026
  • The government’s case against Hearn had been flooded with problems.
    — Ryan J. Reilly, NBC news, 31 July 2026
Definition of flooded

Browse Nearby Words

riddle
riddled
riddled (out)
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Cite this Entry

“Riddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riddled. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of riddled for Spanish Speakers

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