What does riddled mean?
Riddled is an English adjective and past participle meaning covered, pierced, or permeated with something. Its most familiar construction is “riddled with,” as in a surface riddled with holes or a report riddled with errors. The physical sense comes from the verb riddle, “to pierce or perforate,” while the figurative sense extends the idea of being marked all over by a troublesome feature. People also say that a person is riddled with anxiety, doubt, or questions when the condition affects them thoroughly. Riddled therefore conveys more than simply containing a few examples: it suggests repeated marks, numerous faults, or complete penetration of a quality. The word can also stand as the past participle of the verb: “The panel was riddled with shot.” It is a standard, broadly understood word in British and American English, more typical of formal or descriptive prose than casual conversation. Its usefulness lies in its vivid implication of being thoroughly affected, whether physically or metaphorically.
Covered, pierced, or permeated with something, especially holes, defects, problems, doubts, or questions.
"The report was riddled with inconsistencies that undermined its conclusions."
The adjective commonly occurs with the complement “with” and can describe either physical damage or an abstract condition.
To pierce repeatedly, making a surface full of holes.
"Gunfire riddled the stone wall."
Usually transitive, and commonly used in the passive construction “riddled with holes.”
Riddled preserves two surprising histories: a riddle was once a decision or piece of advice, while the modern verb came to mean anything pierced or permeated.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does riddled come from?
Riddled is an inflected form of riddle, which comes from Old English rǣdels, originally meaning “counsel, decision, or utterance.” The word belongs to a Germanic family that includes German Rat and Dutch raad, while German Rätsel and Dutch raadsel developed cognate senses relating to a puzzle. English riddle later acquired the meaning of an enigmatic question, and its related sense of a sieve led to the verb meaning to perforate or make full of holes.
Related word forms
How riddled is actually used
Riddled is formal to neutral and is especially common in descriptive prose. It may function as an adjective or as the past participle of the verb; in the passive, it normally takes a complement introduced by “with.”
Easily confused with riddled
A riddle is a puzzle, whereas riddled describes something that is pierced or filled with holes, faults, doubts, or another quality.