addle

(redirected from addling)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.

ad·dle

(ăd′l)

v. ad·dled, ad·dling, ad·dles

v.tr.

To cause (someone) to think unclearly; confuse: "My brain is a bit addled by whiskey" (Eugene O'Neill). See Synonyms at befuddle.

v.intr.

1. To become confused.

2. To become rotten, as an egg.

[From Middle English adel, rotten, from Old English adel, pool of excrement.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

addle

(ˈædəl)

1. to make or become confused or muddled

2. to make or become rotten

adj

(in combination) indicating a confused or muddled state: addle-brained; addle-pated.

[C18: (vb), back formation from addled, from c13 addle rotten, from Old English adela filth; related to dialect German Addel liquid manure]

addle

(ˈædəl)

dialect Northern English to earn (money or one's living)

[C13: addlen, from Old Norse öthlask to gain possession of property, from ōthal property]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ad•dle

(ˈæd l)

v. -dled, -dling,
adj. v.t., v.i.

1. to make or become confused.

2. to make or become rotten, as eggs.

adj.

3. mentally confused; muddled (usu. used in combination): addleheaded.

4. rotten: addle eggs.

[before 1000; Middle English adel rotten, Old English adela liquid, filth]

addle

Past participle: addled
Gerund: addling

Imperative
addle
addle

Present
I addle
you addle
he/she/it addles
we addle
you addle
they addle

Preterite
I addled
you addled
he/she/it addled
we addled
you addled
they addled

Present Continuous
I am addling
you are addling
he/she/it is addling
we are addling
you are addling
they are addling

Present Perfect
I have addled
you have addled
he/she/it has addled
we have addled
you have addled
they have addled

Past Continuous
I was addling
you were addling
he/she/it was addling
we were addling
you were addling
they were addling

Past Perfect
I had addled
you had addled
he/she/it had addled
we had addled
you had addled
they had addled

Future
I will addle
you will addle
he/she/it will addle
we will addle
you will addle
they will addle

Future Perfect
I will have addled
you will have addled
he/she/it will have addled
we will have addled
you will have addled
they will have addled

Future Continuous
I will be addling
you will be addling
he/she/it will be addling
we will be addling
you will be addling
they will be addling

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been addling
you have been addling
he/she/it has been addling
we have been addling
you have been addling
they have been addling

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been addling
you will have been addling
he/she/it will have been addling
we will have been addling
you will have been addling
they will have been addling

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been addling
you had been addling
he/she/it had been addling
we had been addling
you had been addling
they had been addling

Conditional
I would addle
you would addle
he/she/it would addle
we would addle
you would addle
they would addle

Past Conditional
I would have addled
you would have addled
he/she/it would have addled
we would have addled
you would have addled
they would have addled

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	addle - mix up or confuse; "He muddled the issues" muddle, puddle mix up, jumble, confuse - assemble without order or sense; "She jumbles the words when she is supposed to write a sentence"
	2.	addle - become rotten; "addled eggs" go bad, spoil - become unfit for consumption or use; "the meat must be eaten before it spoils"

addle

verb

1. confuse, bewilder, mix up, muddle, perplex, fluster, stupefy, befuddle, fuddle I suppose the shock had addled his poor brain.

2. go off, turn (Brit. informal), spoil, rot, go bad, turn bad The heat had addled the milk and the stink made her retch.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

addle

verb

To cause to be unclear in mind or intent:

befuddle, bewilder, confound, confuse, discombobulate, dizzy, fuddle, jumble, mix up, muddle, mystify, perplex, puzzle.

Informal: throw.

Idiom: make one's head reel.

Translations

troubler

andare a male andare in rovina confondere rovinarsi viziare

addle

brain → benebeln

egg → faul werden lassen, verderben lassen

vi (egg) → verderben, faul werden

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

References in periodicals archive ?

On the other hand, though, the possibilities have exercised their overactive imaginations for so long that it is now in severe danger of completely addling their minds.

Government thinking has lost its way

ATHOL - Town officials recently stepped in to halt the growing number of geese in the area, using a method called addling.

Town oils the eggs of wild geese to reduce population

Terrorism, bird flu, daily warnings that some food or another is killing our innards or addling our brains, global warming, rotten bankers, greedy politicians, disappearing pensions, dwindling savings, a growing army of on-the-spot finers, bullying policemen, teachers unions threatening strike for opposite reasons, violent crime plus the Mental Health Foundation adding that the anxiety they're highlighting leads to heart disease, gastrointestinal troubles, asthma and allergies...