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riddled

If an object is riddled with something, that means it's covered by that thing: for example, a tree trunk might be riddled with tiny holes made by the beaks of woodpeckers.

The adjective riddled most often describes something damaged by or spread full of holes, like a rusty old mailbox riddled with bullet holes or a block of Swiss cheese riddled with holes. You can also use it figuratively: "It's so sad, her dog is riddled with cancer," or "The plot of your novel is riddled with holes — it just doesn't hold up." Riddled comes from the Old English hriddel, "sieve."

Definitions of riddled
  1. adjective
    spread throughout
    “cities riddled with corruption”
    synonyms:
    full
    containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
  2. adjective
    (often followed by `with') damaged throughout by numerous perforations or holes
    “a sweater riddled with moth holes”
    “cliffs riddled with caves”
    “the bullet-riddled target”
    synonyms:
    damaged
    harmed or injured or spoiled
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘riddled'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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