besotted

adjective

be·​sot·​ted bi-ˈsä-təd 

bē-

1

: utterly infatuated

besotted lovers

became besotted with each other

They have a mad affair. He is besotted.

—Newgate Callendar

2

: intoxicated or stupefied especially with alcohol

We issued into an empty street through a half-open door, staggering like besotted revellers.

—Joseph Conrad

besottedly adverb

She had gone back with him to his flat that first night … besottedly in love with him.

—Anne Mulcock

besottedness noun

I was besotted with the idea and the reality of Venice, and that besottedness has never quite left me …

—Erica Jong

Did you know?

You may be familiar with the noun sot as a synonym of drunkard, and indeed the Old English word sott, referring to a foolish or stupid person, eventually picked up that boozy meaning centuries later (after dropping a t). The now-archaic verb sot followed a similar trajectory, its original meaning of “to cause to appear foolish or stupid” was eventually joined by “to drink excessively.” The earliest recorded usage of the related adjective besotted (in the late 16th century, from the past participle of the verb besot), however, described a state of intoxication due to amorousness rather than adult beverages; the still-current sense of besotted meaning “drunk” didn’t show up until the early 19th century. In fact, evidence of the “infatuated” sense of besotted also predates the tipple-related senses of the noun sot, verb sot, and verb besot, suggesting perhaps that love may be the strongest intoxicant of all.

Synonyms of besotted

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

Examples of besotted in a Sentence

the friends agreed they couldn't let him drive in his besotted condition

Recent Examples on the Web

Carolyn sneaks into a gala; Klein, the fairy godmother, introduces her to the instantly besotted prince, John. —Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026

Burnishing his cult of personality is, for all but the most besotted or trollish, not on that list. —Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026

In America's gladiatorial two-party system, that could well deprive Republicans of a winning political issue with which to batter out-of-touch, climate change-besotted Democrats. —MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025

In the first half of Brag Ingelsby’s series follow-up to Mare of Easttown, Grasso is a slick operator who shifts between tough-guy posturing and a besotted romance with new colleague Lizzie (Alison Oliver). —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for besotted

• allotted
• boycotted
• carotid
• parotid
• unspotted
• blotted
• clotted
• dotted
• jotted
• knotted
• plotted
• potted