riddled
Americanadjective
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filled with, and often thoroughly weakened by, something undesirable (used in combination).
For decades taxpayers subsidized this fault-riddled nuclear plant, with its defective reactors and substandard construction.
-
pierced in many places (usually used in combination).
His bullet-riddled body was found two days later.
verb
Etymology
Origin of riddled
Explanation
If an object is riddled with something, that means it's covered by that thing: for example, a tree trunk might be riddled with tiny holes made by the beaks of woodpeckers. The adjective riddled most often describes something damaged by or spread full of holes, like a rusty old mailbox riddled with bullet holes or a block of Swiss cheese riddled with holes. You can also use it figuratively: "It's so sad, her dog is riddled with cancer," or "The plot of your novel is riddled with holes — it just doesn't hold up." Riddled comes from the Old English hriddel, "sieve."
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.
While he emanated confidence, he was riddled with doubts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Roads are riddled with potholes, tens of thousands of streetlights are out, and water and power bills are surging.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
Software engineer Simon Martin, 44, who lives in Ancoats, recounted how a cab driver told him he would have hesitated once to pick him up, when the area was riddled with crime.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Giles Mason, who runs the Take 5 to Stop Fraud campaign at UK Finance which represents the banking and finance industry, said scam emails used to be "riddled with spelling mistakes, poor grammar".
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The night, the darkness outside, the apart-ment riddled with lamplight shadows seemed more menacing.
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
