alcoholic

adjective

al·co·hol·ic | \ ˌal-kə-ˈhȯ-lik

, -ˈhä-\

Definition of alcoholic

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : of, relating to, or caused by alcohol an alcoholic odor

b : containing alcohol an alcoholic beverage

2 : affected with alcoholism

alcoholic

noun

Definition of alcoholic (Entry 2 of 2)

: a person affected with alcoholism

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Examples of alcoholic in a Sentence

Adjective

a slightly more alcoholic wine She has an alcoholic uncle.

Noun

Her uncle is an alcoholic. one can be a social drinker without turning into an alcoholic

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Diners toasted each other with non-alcoholic beer in London last January. — Sumathi Reddy, WSJ, "The Dry January Effect," 1 Jan. 2019 Desserts from fried doughnuts and cheesecake and a dirty float made with alcoholic root beer. — Shonda Talerico Dudlicek, Naperville Sun, "Guide to outdoor dining in Chicago suburbs: Empire Burgers & Brew in Naperville," 8 July 2018 After a week of hard work in the White House, Vice President Mike Pence likes to wind down with a supreme thin crust pizza and non-alcoholic beer. — Dwight Adams, Indianapolis Star, "Observations about Mike Pence from 'Vanity Fair' article," 31 May 2018 Old Milwaukee non-alcoholic beer is also available ($6). — Todd A. Price, NOLA.com, "What you'll be drinking at Jazz Fest: our guide to fest alcohol," 27 Apr. 2018 Pet Winery Pet Winery sells Bark Brew, a Dog-Tinis and a dog beer, non-alcoholic of course. — Sonja Haller, azcentral, "National Puppy Day 2018: Pet deals you need in your life for your little fluff of cuteness," 22 Mar. 2018 Karen Pence told a crowd recently that her husband likes to unwind on Fridays with a non-alcoholic beer. — Washington Post, "Mike Pence to visit Savannah, Georgia, for St. Patrick’s Day," 13 Mar. 2018 Krombacher also shipped 11,000 liters of alcoholic beer to the games. — Emily Price, Fortune, "Germany's Olympic Athletes Are Consuming Hundreds of Gallons of a Surprising Sports Drink: Beer," 19 Feb. 2018 To understand what’s going on in Lakeland, look at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits LLC, one of the area’s top employers and the country’s biggest alcoholic-beverage distributor. — Christopher Mims, WSJ, "This Thriving City—and Many Others—Could Soon Be Disrupted by Robots," 9 Feb. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Gary is afraid of commitment and recovering from cancer, Rome is depressed and suicidal, and Eddie's an alcoholic who wants to leave his wife, Katherine (Grace Park), who's too good for him anyway. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "If You Like This Is Us, Then You'll Love A Million Little Things," 26 Sep. 2018 Sabbath is married to a recovering alcoholic, Roseanna. — Tina Jordan And Susan Ellingwood, New York Times, "A Philip Roth Reader," 23 May 2018 His father was an abusive alcoholic who left the home early, forcing him to be the man of the house at a young age. — miamiherald, "Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill reveals identity of long-anonymous donors of millions | Miami Herald," 14 Aug. 2014 Rob Livingston stars as Sam Loudermilk, a grumpy recovering alcoholic who now works as a substance abuse counselor. — Pilot Viruet, The Verge, "The 12 best overlooked TV shows of 2018," 14 Dec. 2018 Rodolfo Ruperti, who heads the Palermo police operations squad, said the suspects would go to the Sicilian capital's train station to recruit drug addicts, alcoholics, the mentally disabled and poor people desperate for money. — Frances D'emilio, Fox News, "Police say Sicily gangsters crushed limbs in insurance fraud," 9 Aug. 2018 President Pierce was an alcoholic who died of cirrhosis of the liver. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Why It's Impossible to Be a Likeable Female Politician," 11 Jan. 2019 Better yet, the sweet, fizzy drink is non-alcoholic, so visitors of all ages can enjoy. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "London’s Harry Potter Studio Tour Is Even More Magical in the Snow," 25 Dec. 2018 And my next novel centers on an alcoholic ensnared in a decade-long affair. — Sara Benincasa, Glamour, "I Had an Affair With a Married Man—and We Never Even Kissed," 18 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'alcoholic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.