addled

[ad-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.

verb

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

Other Word Forms

• unaddled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of addled¹

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.”

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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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

An addled Daniel discovers them fighting and jumps in to protect Cherry, accidentally holding his mother under the water for too long.

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

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Trump, addled as he is, still understands that it's unwise to alienate his largely elderly base by attacking two popular programs they depend on.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• befuddled 
• bewildered