addled
Americanadjective
-
confused, especially mentally.
Given her addled state, the police discounted much of what the witness had to say.
-
(of an egg) not able to produce viable young.
One of the nests had two chicks and two addled eggs.
verb
Other Word Forms
- unaddled adjective
Etymology
Origin of addled
Explanation
To be addled is to be fuzzy in the head, a little foggy and confused. When you're addled, you're having trouble thinking. If your favorite movie star walks by and says hello, you might be too addled to say hi back. Sometimes it's hard to think and you feel slow and befuddled. When your brain feels like it's stuck in some mental mud, you're addled. People are addled for many reasons. When you first wake up, you probably feel addled. Drinking too much makes people feel addled. A confusing situation can make you feel addled. Being in love, star struck, drunk, sleepy, or sick can make you feel addled. Avoid big decisions and important tests when you’re addled!
Vocabulary lists containing addled
The Bluest Eye
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Uglies
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Slaughterhouse-Five
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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.
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 • Nov. 13, 2025
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
“What is your addled poet brain getting at?”
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
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.
