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
Relevance
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
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Recent Examples of riddled
Just a few days earlier in California, a house that had been decorated with lights celebrating Chanukah was riddled with bullets, with the assailant having been heard to yell anti-Jewish epithets.
—
Rabbi Steve Roth, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
Advertisement Venezuela is home to the world’s largest oil reserves, but its oil industry has been hit by sanctions and riddled with problems from corruption to fires that have dramatically reduced its output.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 5 Jan. 2026
Elections were riddled with irregularities, media censorship intensified, and civil-society groups operated under constant threat.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026
His 2018 and 2024 elections were seen as riddled with irregularities and viewed as illegitimate.
—Aamer Madhani, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
We were riddled with some dilemmas when other teams were finalizing systems.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Dec. 2025
Two of the truck's windows were shattered, and it was riddled with bullet holes.
—Marcella Baietto, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
But Washington’s overall approach to Yemen is riddled with contradictions.
—April Longley Alley, Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2025
But for more than a month, airports have been riddled with chaos as federal workers, including air traffic controllers and TSA agents, have gone without pay due to the government shutdown.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2025
Rabbi Steve Roth, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
Advertisement Venezuela is home to the world’s largest oil reserves, but its oil industry has been hit by sanctions and riddled with problems from corruption to fires that have dramatically reduced its output.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 5 Jan. 2026
Elections were riddled with irregularities, media censorship intensified, and civil-society groups operated under constant threat.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026
His 2018 and 2024 elections were seen as riddled with irregularities and viewed as illegitimate.
—Aamer Madhani, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
We were riddled with some dilemmas when other teams were finalizing systems.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Dec. 2025
Two of the truck's windows were shattered, and it was riddled with bullet holes.
—Marcella Baietto, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
But Washington’s overall approach to Yemen is riddled with contradictions.
—April Longley Alley, Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2025
But for more than a month, airports have been riddled with chaos as federal workers, including air traffic controllers and TSA agents, have gone without pay due to the government shutdown.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riddled
Verb
-
While heavy crude oil is what is predominantly being drilled for today, its viscous consistency and high levels of metals and sulfur mean extracting and refining this product is significantly more costly than its light crude counterpart.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Capping two solid seasons for the Huskies, Freeman drilled a 49-yard field goal off the frozen, slick turf in frigid weather, worth noting for NFL teams in the Northeast and Upper Midwest.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
One of the great pleasures of anime is that its unabashed, rollicky genre pieces are often suffused with grand, but not grandiose, sociopolitical commentary — a heady combination that many similar pictures can’t pull off.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
-
His music, stuffed with live instrumentation and harmonic sophistication, is suffused with the sound and spirit of Sly Stone, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix and Marvin Gaye, among many others.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Ade stood over his bride, deeply concerned, when a lively drum roll pierced the air.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Consuelos discussed an increase in mosquitos while a buzzing noise pierced the air.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Their toddler, who was watching, went into her bedroom and wailed as her father penetrated her mother.—
S. C. Cornell,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
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Iran’s clerical oligarchs are shaken and still sorting out how their defenses were compromised and their intelligence apparatus penetrated.—
Ray Takeyh,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
With a merciless 56-22 thumping of Oregon in the Peach Bowl, the Hoosiers punched their ticket to their first national championship game appearance in program history.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Jenkins brutally stomped and punched Coto, who was severely injured and put on life support.—
Tony Aiello,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The smell of dirt, hay and horse manure permeated the building.—
Chris Torres,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Storm says fear permeated daily life.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If the worst happens and the dome is punctured, 2,000 tonnes of CO2 will enter the atmosphere.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
21 Dec. 2025
-
The same could not be said of her trachea, which had been punctured lethally from the attack.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Emotions then flooded over him.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
10 Jan. 2026
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Soon, crypto traders and other digital nomads flooded El Zonte, lending it the nickname Bitcoin Beach.—
Nora Walsh,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riddled. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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