Addle
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˈæ.dəl/ · Part of speech adjective
Quick meaning: Addle is an adjective meaning Having lost the power of development, and become rotten; putrid.
Meaning
Having lost the power of development, and become rotten; putrid.
More Meanings
- (by extension) Unfruitful or confused; muddled.
- To make or become addled; to muddle or confuse.
- An unwise or intellectually impaired person.
- (provincial, Northern England) To earn, earn by labor; earn money or one's living.
- (provincial, Northern England) To thrive or grow; to ripen.
- To cause fertilised eggs to lose viability, by killing the developing embryo within through shaking, piercing, freezing or oiling, without breaking the shell.
- (obsolete) Liquid filth; mire.
Example Sentences
addle brains
to addle someone's brain
Thus far the Poet, but his brains grow Addle; / And all the reſt is purely from this Noddle.
It was a feathered riddle; a mystery hatched out of an egg, and just as mysterious as if the egg had been addle!
Word Forms
- addles
- addling
- addled
Synonyms for addle
Depending on context, synonyms include addled, muddle, puddle.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include muddle, puddle, disorient, confuse, discombobulate, befuddle.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.