addlebrained C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈædəlˌbreɪnd/ UK /ˈædəlˌbreɪnd/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj confused, muddled, or foolish The addlebrained clerk filed every form in the wrong drawer. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · confused, muddled, or foolish muddledconfusedbefuddledfoolishscatterbrainedaddlepated ↔ Opposites clearheadedlucidsharp Word family Related forms addleaddledbrainaddlepated Etymology AI details A compound of addle ('to confuse,' from Old English adela 'mire, filth') and brained, from brain, from Old English brægen. adela Old English brægen Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # addlebrained **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈædəlˌbreɪnd/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈædəlˌbreɪnd/ ## Meanings 1. confused, muddled, or foolish ## Examples - The addlebrained clerk filed every form in the wrong drawer. ## Synonyms - muddled - confused - befuddled - foolish - scatterbrained - addlepated ## Antonyms - clearheaded - lucid - sharp ## Related Forms - addle - addled - brain - addlepated ## Roots and Affixes - Root: adela - Root: brægen ## Etymology A compound of addle ('to confuse,' from Old English adela 'mire, filth') and brained, from brain, from Old English brægen. ## AI Etymology Addlebrained is a compound of addle ('to confuse,' from Old English adela 'mire, filth') and brained, from brain, from Old English brægen. The historical trail runs through Old English adela and Old English brægen. In modern use it means confused, muddled, or foolish. Related forms include addle, addled, brain, addlepated. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown