addle
addle — verb
- addlepresent simple I / you / we / they
- addleshe / she / it
- addledpast simple
- addling-ing form
1. to confuse someone so much that it becomes hard for them to think clearly or mak
to confuse someone so much that it becomes hard for them to think clearly or make good decisions, often because they have to deal with too many things or pieces of information at once
The complicated train schedule addled the passengers, who kept boarding the wrong trains.
addle + group of people as direct object
Three different instructions at once addled Kwame, and he forgot what to do next.
The constant noise from the construction site addled the office workers and lowered their productivity.
Too many pop-up ads addled Ananya, so she closed the browser in frustration.
The lawyer's rapid questions addled the witness, who kept changing his story.
- confuse
the most common and neutral term; addle is much less frequent and somewhat literary
- bewilder
suggests complete confusion that leaves a person unsure what to do next
- befuddle
informal; often suggests confusion caused by alcohol, drugs, or tiredness
- muddle
suggests disordered or jumbled thinking rather than total confusion
- clarify
to make something clear and easier to understand
文法句型
addle + [someone/something, often brain/mind]
用法筆記
Often used with the person's mind or brain as the object (e.g., 'The heat addled his brain'). The past participle 'addled' is also common as an adjective in phrases like 'drug-addled' or 'alcohol-addled'.
addle — adjective
- addlepositive
- addlercomparative
- addlestsuperlative
1. An egg or other food that has spoiled and started to decay, so that it is no lon
An egg or other food that has spoiled and started to decay, so that it is no longer safe to eat.
The smell from the addle egg made Ada leave the kitchen right away.
collocation: addle egg — used for rotten eggs
Chef Henrik carefully separated the addle eggs from the fresh ones.
attributive use: addle + eggs
Ayesha knew the egg was addle when it gave off a strong, bad smell.
The farmer told us addle eggs will float in a bowl of water.
Beatriz found two addle eggs in the carton and threw them away.
文法句型
addle + noun (esp. egg, eggs)
be + addle
用法筆記
This sense is almost exclusively used of eggs. It is rarely applied to other foods outside of historical or regional contexts — for general food spoilage, use 'rotten' or 'spoiled'.
常見錯誤
2. A person's mind or thinking that is unclear, muddled, and unable to work properl
A person's mind or thinking that is unclear, muddled, and unable to work properly — for example, from exhaustion, confusion, or the effect of something that overwhelms the senses.
Nikhil's addle mind could not focus on the math problem in front of him.
collocation: addle mind — describing confused thinking
After the long flight, Darius had an addle brain and could barely speak.
Sivan tried to make sense of the question with an addle mind full of worry.
Michael's addle thoughts kept jumping from one idea to the next without any link.
The strong medication made Ramón feel addle and unable to concentrate on his work.
文法句型
addle + noun (mind, brain, head, thoughts)
be + addle
feel + addle
用法筆記
The subject is almost always a person's mind, brain, head, or thoughts. It describes a temporary state of mental muddle rather than a permanent condition. Distinguish from the verb 'addle' (in another entry), which means to cause this confused state in someone.