addled
adjective
ad·dled ˈa-dᵊld 
1
: thrown into confusion : confused
his addled brain/mind
… vainly endeavouring to master some task … which, to the addled brain of the crushed boy of nineteen, was a sealed and hopeless mystery.
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens2
of an egg : rotten, addle
She was romantic, she was sentimental, she had a passion for little secrets and mysteries—a very innocent passion, for her secrets had hitherto always been as unpractical as addled eggs. Henry James
Henry James
Synonyms
- bad
- corrupted
- decayed
- decomposed
- putrefied
- putrid
- rotten
- spoiled
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web But like most everything else in Blonde, the writer-director plays with the lines separating truth from paranoia, reality from addled nightmare. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2022 My addled brain is a whiz at gathering new recipes to try and instruments to learn. Jordan Mcmahon, WSJ, 30 Aug. 2022 Under its playful manner and some very funny side plots — one, in particular, involves the need to source crack cocaine for an addled actor — Assayas continues to explore what was at the heart of the 1996 movie. New York Times, 6 June 2022 The short fiction story revolves around an addled rock star dealing with the fallout of his infidelity driving his wife to kill herself shortly after their wedding. Lanford Beard, PEOPLE.com, 18 Feb. 2022 There were five of them, moving in addled formation. Colin Barrett, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2021 Even his addled brain comprehends that only one other creature on Earth understands his true nature. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 31 Mar. 2021 The dual-density foam compound is seriously peppy yet still somehow forgiving enough for my addled ankle tendons. The Editors, Outside Online, 4 Mar. 2021 Emily resists but soon joins in, the Nancy to his addled Midwestern Sid. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2021 See More
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2022 My addled brain is a whiz at gathering new recipes to try and instruments to learn. Jordan Mcmahon, WSJ, 30 Aug. 2022 Under its playful manner and some very funny side plots — one, in particular, involves the need to source crack cocaine for an addled actor — Assayas continues to explore what was at the heart of the 1996 movie. New York Times, 6 June 2022 The short fiction story revolves around an addled rock star dealing with the fallout of his infidelity driving his wife to kill herself shortly after their wedding. Lanford Beard, PEOPLE.com, 18 Feb. 2022 There were five of them, moving in addled formation. Colin Barrett, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2021 Even his addled brain comprehends that only one other creature on Earth understands his true nature. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 31 Mar. 2021 The dual-density foam compound is seriously peppy yet still somehow forgiving enough for my addled ankle tendons. The Editors, Outside Online, 4 Mar. 2021 Emily resists but soon joins in, the Nancy to his addled Midwestern Sid. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
variant of addle entry 1, with the adjective suffix -ed entry 1
First Known Use
1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1
addled 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in rotten
having undergone organic breakdown addled eggs found on a long abandoned hen's nest Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- rotten
- spoiled
- decomposed
- corrupted
- decayed
- rotting
- putrid
- turned
- tainted
- polluted
- soured
- curdled
- rancid
- putrefied
- fermented
- defiled
- corroded
- sour
- bad
- contaminated
- degenerated
- deteriorated
- crumbled
- off
- decomposing
- decaying
- disintegrating
- fouled
- disintegrated
- impure
- gangrenous
- putrescent
- rank
- moldy
- moldering
- putrefying
- sourish
- mildewy
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- fresh
- sweet
- undecomposed
- preserved
- good
- uncontaminated
- untouched
- untainted
- unspoiled
- pristine
- unpolluted
- undefiled
2
as in dazed
suffering from mental confusion one of the more addled audience members confused Ghana with Guyana Synonyms & Similar Words
- dazed
- bewildered
- confused
- distracted
- stunned
- dizzy
- addle
- addlepated
- befuddled
- raddled
- fogged
- stupefied
- muddleheaded
- bemused
- bedeviled
- befogged
- silly
- zonked
- dopey
- confounded
- at sea
- muzzy
- pixilated
- spacey
- punchy
- slaphappy
- pixillated
- unconscious
- bushed
- dopy
- punch-drunk
- mixed-up
- zonked-out
- spacy
- spaced
- shell-shocked
- spaced-out
- out of it
- senseless
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- conscious
- clearheaded
- alert
addled
2 of 2verb
as in bewildered
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- bewildered
- baffled
- puzzled
- perplexed
- confused
- fuddled
- befuddled
- disoriented
- muddled
- flustered
- discombobulated
- rattled
- mystified
- befogged
- bamboozled
- flummoxed
- disturbed
- confounded
- vexed
- embarrassed
- bemused
- mazed
- bothered
- muddied
- stunned
- foxed
- posed
- graveled
- got
- buffaloed
- beat
- upset
- unsettled
- stuck
- gravelled
- agitated
- vext
- abashed
- went to one's head
- disconcerted
- stumped
- deluded
- distressed
- mortified
- unhinged
- blew one's mind
- discomfited
- nonplussed
- perturbed
- discomposed
- disquieted
- deceived
- misguided
- misled
- chagrined
- discomforted
- fazed
- discountenanced
- gulled
- beguiled
- duped
- hoodwinked
- dismayed
- tricked
- fooled
- humbugged
- weirded out
- nonplused
- strung along
- cozened
- snowed
- took in
- hoaxed
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- assured
- informed
- satisfied
- reassured
- enlightened