RIDDLED Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

riddled

verb

past tense of riddle

as in drilled

to make a hole or series of holes in several signs along the highway were riddled by buckshot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Second Line was my mom — her interludes riddled the album with her depiction of what is meant to be a Creole woman in New Orleans. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026 The multimillion-dollar renovation has been riddled with flawed installation, green algae bloom in the water, and alleged acts of vandalism from the beginning. — Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 4 Aug. 2026 These platforms are riddled with undocumented business logic, fragmented workflows and rigid, siloed databases. — Sridhar Yerramreddy, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Regardless of what happens next, the near-term path is clearly riddled with obstacles for investors, according to the strategist. — Sarah Min, CNBC, 3 Aug. 2026 Casing the Scene Back at the shooting scene, the white Jeep is riddled with bullets. — Sydney Brownstone, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026 Oxygen Bleach For home exteriors riddled with algae and mildew, Flores advises using an oxygen bleach soft wash. — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 1 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, those with chronic addictions who are poor (because rich people with addictions are rarely as visible) will continue to be swept up, and left with a system riddled with false promises and real penalties. — Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for riddled

Verb

The 29-year-old bopper has drilled 26 home runs against right-handed pitching, 19 at home and 15 at home against righties in 2026.

— Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
The New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, which monitors and approves wells across the state, said staff have counted eight wells drilled without the office’s permission along the southern border, but cautioned there could be more.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 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

OpenAI reported that models being tested on a cybersecurity benchmark found a way out of an isolated environment, obtained internet access and penetrated Hugging Face infrastructure.

— Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
All of these appeared to originate at boundaries between tiles, suggesting hot gas may have penetrated these boundaries.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 27 July 2026

Definition of penetrated

Verb

As the train doors were about to close, the pair exited the train, facing off against each other, and the assailant punched the victim in the face.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026
During the fight, Collins told detectives, his cousin punched his sister and threatened to kill them.

— Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of punched

Verb

In addition to the candles, the smells of foxgloves, peonies, and birch permeated the space in floral arrangements done by Philippa Craddock.

— Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 5 Aug. 2026
The dark theme even permeated the kitchen, which featured a large black-and-white marble island surrounded by black cabinets.

— Joyce Chen, Architectural Digest, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of permeated

Verb

People didn’t buy the Old Hollywood Grande of the early 2020s; her headlines punctured the wholesome façade.

— Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
Images of Russian delivery warehouses and refineries ablaze have punctured the veneer of safety Moscow has tried to maintain four years into the war.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 31 July 2026

Definition of punctured

Verb

Upon hearing the news, East Germans flooded to the wall’s checkpoints, demanding to cross.

— Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026
By nearly every measure, President Claudia Sheinbaum is taking the fight to the cartels that have flooded America’s streets for decades.

— Chris Shays, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of flooded

Browse Nearby Words

riddle

riddled

riddled (out)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Riddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riddled. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of riddled

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on riddled

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

anecdote

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes