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 ( def ).

Other Words From

• un·ad·dled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of addled¹

addle ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

Trump’s apparently already addled mind and debauched morals are in terminal decline, and his campaign isn’t doing much right.

From Salon

His staff did everything they could to make it easy on the increasingly addled old man.

From Salon

That's why they assembled every surrogate, henchman and TV pundit supporter to fan out on Tuesday the minute Trump finished his event at the Chicago Economic Club to pretend that it was a triumph in a vain attempt to swallow up the growing public realization that Trump is far more addled and mentally chaotic than what we've seen previously.

From Salon

Vice President Harris undeniably has momentum on her side, while Trump faces serious problems due to his organizational deficiencies: he’s losing the money battle, his staff is in open warfare and Trump’s addled brain is getting worse by the day.

From Salon

That means staying on the attack and showing everybody what a great time she’s having cleaning Trump’s addled clock.

From Salon

Related Words

• befuddled
• bewildered