addled

adjective

ad·​dled ˈa-dᵊld 

1

: thrown into confusion : confused

his addled brain/mind

… vainly endeavouring to master some task … which, to the addled brain of the crushed boy of nineteen, was a sealed and hopeless mystery.

—Charles Dickens

2

of an egg : rotten, addle

She was romantic, she was sentimental, she had a passion for little secrets and mysteries—a very innocent passion, for her secrets had hitherto always been as unpractical as addled eggs.

—Henry James

Synonyms

• bad
• corrupted
• decayed
• decomposed
• putrefied
• putrid
• rotten
• spoiled

Examples of addled in a Sentence

addled eggs found on a long abandoned hen's nest

one of the more addled audience members confused Ghana with Guyana

Recent Examples on the Web

Enright’s portrait of the mother is terrific — entitled, manipulative, addled, forlorn — as is her characterisation of each of the siblings whose personalities are formed, or deformed, in their mother’s shadow. —Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024

Psychiatrists testified for both the state and the defense that a person in psychosis is prone to make statements based on a belief in their addled mind. —Ron Wilkins, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Nov. 2024

The episode hinges on Novak’s ability to sell Nandor’s transformation from seemingly addled while lecturing a warehouse full of mannequins, to roguishly determined when commanding his followers to set Dartmouth University on fire. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024

Back at the Harris rally, Carvey came out as a squinting and addled Biden, talking in circles before Harris finally tried to push him off the stage. —Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 28 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

variant of addle entry 1, with the adjective suffix -ed entry 1

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1