riddled
Americanadjective
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filled with, and often thoroughly weakened by, something undesirable (used in combination).
For decades taxpayers subsidized this fault-riddled nuclear plant, with its defective reactors and substandard construction.
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pierced in many places (usually used in combination).
His bullet-riddled body was found two days later.
verb
Etymology
Origin of riddled
Explanation
If an object is riddled with something, that means it's covered by that thing: for example, a tree trunk might be riddled with tiny holes made by the beaks of woodpeckers. The adjective riddled most often describes something damaged by or spread full of holes, like a rusty old mailbox riddled with bullet holes or a block of Swiss cheese riddled with holes. You can also use it figuratively: "It's so sad, her dog is riddled with cancer," or "The plot of your novel is riddled with holes — it just doesn't hold up." Riddled comes from the Old English hriddel, "sieve."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He believes the panel's report was "flawed" and riddled with "errors in law".
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
Its international airport — which only recently reopened — has the remains of propeller planes carelessly tossed to the side of the runway, their bodies riddled with bullet holes and their wings askew.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
An October 2024 launch party with Will Smith and Alicia Keys proved premature, as rushed work left hotels riddled with construction problems and unable to open without hundreds of millions of dollars of fixes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
But this theory is entirely false, based on hastily assembled “academic” work that’s riddled with errors and lies.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
No wonder Rudy didn't have hangups, no wonder his high school acne hadn't left him riddled with self-doubt, his name hadn't cowed him.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
