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
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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
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The final came Monday night, when the AFC North champions squandered some early momentum before getting drilled 30-6 by Houston, the most lopsided home playoff loss in team history.—
Will Graves,
Twin Cities,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Jennings made the throw while getting drilled by All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who was flagged for roughing the passer.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Slow-attack tones emerge and are subsumed back within the haze, like single strands of a spiderweb zooming in and out of focus; the uppermost reaches are suffused in a delicate scrim of what sounds like electronic crickets.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
14 Jan. 2026
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Its pages are suffused with love for her mother and for the myriad anonymous Chinese sources and academics who help Chang in researching her historical projects — and suffered blowback as a result.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Whistle blasts pierced the early January chill in a now-familiar community response employed by activists in US cities to alert neighbors to the presence of immigration officers.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
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Remove the foil and continue to bake until the lasagna is tender all the way through when pierced with a knife, the cheese is bubbling and the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes more.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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No researcher had penetrated these depths or mapped the ice sheet’s underlying terrain in such vivid, thrilling detail.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Jan. 2026
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In rapid fire, five stabs penetrated Rivera’s chest, head, and shoulder.—
Mattha Busby,
Rolling Stone,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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After Patriots senior Taylor Perry scored the first bucket of the second quarter to cap off a 9-2 run, the Cavers punched back with an 8-0 run that lasted more than five minutes to regain their five-point lead before going into halftime up six.—
Breven Honda,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The fight escalated, and the man punched the 46-year-old conductor before taking off, according to police.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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Fans flooded the comments on Styles’ Instagram announcement with excitement about the new album.—
Charlie Vargas,
Oc Register,
16 Jan. 2026
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All such Broncos content has flooded Facebook feeds.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riddled. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
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