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

The recipe is also delicious with pickled jalapeño slices and jalapeño potato chips. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Jan. 2026

This version uses New York strip steak as its protein with local mushrooms and pickled mustard seed, topped with crispy shallots on a bed of homemade tagliatelle ribbons. —Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register, 15 Jan. 2026

The heat is courtesy of pickled jalapeños. —Amanda Favazza, Southern Living, 15 Jan. 2026

The matzah ball soup, meanwhile, consists of chicken and pork meatballs mixed with bread crumbs instead of matzah meal, topped with pickled celery. —Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 14 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