verb
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to make or become confused or muddled
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to make or become rotten
adjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of addle
First recorded before 1000; Middle English adel “rotten,” Old English adela “liquid, filth”; cognate with Middle Low German adele “liquid manure”
Explanation
Addle is a verb meaning to confuse. When your great uncle Marvin became infirm in his later years, trying to distinguish between you and your cousins tended to addle his brain. Addle is a Middle English word coming from the Old English adela, meaning “liquid filth.” It’s related to the German adel, meaning “mire or puddle.” In the thirteenth century, addle was used to refer to rotten eggs. Now it's used to describe a confused mind. When someone's mind becomes addled — whether it's from age or love or illness — it’s like the brain is rotten.
Vocabulary lists containing addle
Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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"Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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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.
See Examples For:
He expected the chemical would addle mitochondria in every organ.
From Science Magazine ● May 4, 2023
Temperatures reach an unheard-of 115 in the Pacific Northwest To “Summer in the City” Hot town, summer in Seattle; Portlander brains are starting to addle.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 7, 2021
Her putter works just fine from medium to long range; it’s the tiddlers that get her nerves jangling and addle the head.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 3, 2019
The company will also remove nests, transport injured birds to rehabilitation centers and addle the eggs.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 27, 2018
“I dim the eyes and addle the brain. Every mortal fears old age!”
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
We should not seek ethical guidance from addled entertainers, but we can find insights into our temporal and spiritual condition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026
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 ● Sep. 18, 2025
No mastermind, Musk is more Scaramucci 2.0—an addled and overcaffeinated whirlwind that we all hoped would be one more chapter to which we could say: “Whoa, that was wild. Next.”
From Slate ● Feb. 7, 2025
But, like every addled maniac, his hatred lacks focus.
From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2025
“Harry is as sane as you or I. That scar upon his forehead has not addled his brains. I believe it hurts him when Lord Voldemort is close by, or feeling particularly murderous.”
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
He said social media could create "greater connections and a sense of belonging" but also came with risks including the "harm of addling the developing mind of young people".
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026
It is the play itself that lurches and rocks us, addling our expectation of narrative coherence in order to take us inside the sort of experience that can’t be grasped with the mind alone.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 30, 2019
I can't decide if it is amusing, ironic or horrifying to note that Universities, institutions allegedly dedicated to expanding and improving the mind, principally responsible for addling the brains of their matriculants.
From New York Times ● Jan. 31, 2018
The blaze has been propelled by a heatwave addling much of the nation, in addition to the naturally dry and windy conditions of Southern California's Santa Clarita Valley, the area affected by the fire.
From US News ● Jul. 25, 2016
The thought of this, and a new cookery-book showing when each thing ought to be eaten, and making a sort of gastronomic tour, have been addling my head the last three nights.
From Charles Lever, His Life in His Letters, Vol. II by Edmund Downey
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.
