addle
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)vb
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)vb
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]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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:
| Verb | 1. |  addle - mix up or confuse; "He muddled the issues"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" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
addle
verb
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
verbTo cause to be unclear in mind or intent:
befuddle, bewilder, confound, confuse, discombobulate, dizzy, fuddle, jumble, mix up, muddle, mystify, perplex, puzzle.
Idiom: make one's head reel.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.