Dictionary.com

addle

[ ad-l ]
/ ˈæd l /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: addle / addled on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with or without object), ad·dled, ad·dling.
to make or become confused.
to make or become rotten, as eggs.
adjective
mentally confused; muddled.
rotten (def. 1): addle eggs.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of addle

First recorded before 1000; Middle English adel “rotten,” Old English adela “liquid, filth”; cognate with Middle Low German adele “liquid manure”

OTHER WORDS FROM addle

ad·dled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use addle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for addle (1 of 2)

addle1
/ (ˈædəl) /

verb
to make or become confused or muddled
to make or become rotten
adjective
(in combination) indicating a confused or muddled stateaddle-brained; addle-pated

Word Origin for addle

C18: (vb), back formation from addled, from c13 addle rotten, from Old English adela filth; related to dialect German Addel liquid manure

British Dictionary definitions for addle (2 of 2)

addle2
/ (ˈædəl) /

verb
Northern English dialect to earn (money or one's living)

Word Origin for addle

C13: addlen, from Old Norse öthlask to gain possession of property, from ōthal property
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK