addled

American  

[ad-ld] / ˈæd ld /

adjective

1. confused, especially mentally.

   Given her addled state, the police discounted much of what the witness had to say.

2. (of an egg) not able to produce viable young.

   One of the nests had two chicks and two addled eggs.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of addle.

Other Word Forms

• unaddled adjective

Etymology

Origin of addled

addle ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Only one scene really has an impact: Ben runs into a nerd-revolutionary, adorably played by Michael Cera, who seems like a little brother of Leonardo DiCaprio’s addled old radical in “One Battle After Another.”

From The Wall Street Journal

For 18 years, Clayton Kershaw pitched through the gamut of emotions as both a hero and a villain, moments of euphoria addled with spells of despair, picturesque summers disappearing into the wicked wilds of October.

From Los Angeles Times

Though he’d been addled by the ailment, he understood that his son had managed to preserve the family business.

From Los Angeles Times

But, like every addled maniac, his hatred lacks focus.

From Salon

They bolted at the final note to get backstage for curtain calls and were met with cheers — not a given with European audiences alternately amazed, addled and appalled by reinvented works known as regietheater.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• befuddled
• bewildered