addle

American  

[ad-l] / ˈæd l /

verb (used with or without object)

addled, addling

1. to make or become confused.

2. to make or become rotten, as eggs.

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adjective

1. mentally confused; muddled.

2. rotten.

   addle eggs.

addle ¹ British  

/ ˈædəl /

verb

1. to make or become confused or muddled

2. to make or become rotten

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adjective

1. (in combination) indicating a confused or muddled state

   addle-brained

   addle-pated

addle ² British  

/ ˈædəl /

verb

1. dialect to earn (money or one's living)

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Other Word Forms

• addled adjective

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”

Example Sentences

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

Some people might think a half name would make a person addled in the brain or even dangerous.

From Literature

“That location is Salieri’s increasingly addled brain and what happens within that brain strikes me as eminently contemporary.”

From Los Angeles Times

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

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