pickled

adjective

pick·​led ˈpi-kəld 

1

: preserved in or cured with pickle

pickled herring

2

informal : drunk sense 1a

… once got pickled on two glasses of punch at an office party …

—Rex Stout

Synonyms of pickled

• fried
• drunk
• drunken
• wet
• impaired
• wasted

Examples of pickled in a Sentence

He got pickled at the office party.

I must have been rather pickled when I agreed to your stupid scheme.

Recent Examples on the Web

Recent items include butternut squash Milanese, pickled mushroom croquettes and caramelized apple olive oil cake. —Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas Morning News, 1 Feb. 2026

Remove from heat, uncover, and stir in pickled jalapeños and brown sugar until sugar melts. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2026

Best of all, every style of pickled chile has something to offer. —Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Jan. 2026

This Jewish deli does far more than pastrami, with a full deli counter and dine-in menu—there are frankfurters with saurkraut and other pickled things, knishes and latkes, matzo ball soup, and even gefilte fish—but the sky-high sandwiches are the reason to take the train alllll the way uptown. —Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pickled

• prickled
• tickled
• trickled

Kids Definition

pickled

adjective

pick·​led

: preserved with pickle