drunken

adjective

drunk·​en ˈdrəŋ-kən 

1

: drunk sense 1

a drunken driver

2

obsolete : saturated with liquid

3

a

: given to habitual excessive use of alcohol

b

: of, relating to, or characterized by intoxication

they come from … broken homes, drunken homes

—P. B. Gilliam

c

: resulting from or as if from intoxication

a drunken brawl

4

: unsteady or lurching as if from alcoholic intoxication

drunkenly adverb

drunkenness

ˈdrəŋ-kən-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• besotted
• blasted [slang]
• blind
• blitzed [slang]
• blotto [slang]
• bombed
• boozy
• canned [slang]
• cockeyed
• crocked
• drunk
• fried
• gassed
• hammered [slang]
• high
• impaired
• inebriate
• inebriated
• intoxicated
• juiced [slang]
• lit
• lit up
• loaded [slang]
• looped
• oiled [slang]
• pickled
• pie-eyed
• plastered
• potted [slang]
• ripped [slang]
• sloshed [slang]
• smashed [slang]
• sottish
• soused
• sozzled
• squiffed
• squiffy
• stewed
• stiff
• stinking [slang]
• stoned
• tanked [slang]
• tiddly [chiefly British]
• tight
• tipsy
• wasted [slang]
• wet
• wiped out [slang]

Examples of drunken in a Sentence

The streets were filled with drunken revelers on New Year's Eve.

He lives in an apartment with his drunken mother.

He fell into a drunken stupor.

A drunken brawl broke out at the bar.

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s a bit of a romantic cliffhanger at the end of season one where Molly and John (Adam Scott) have a drunken night together. —Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024

Despite past controversies — beginning with an anti-Semitic rant during his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving in 2006 — Gibson won the praises of Hollywood once again in 2016 with the release of the biographical war drama Hacksaw Ridge. —Tim Lammers, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2024

There’s plenty of drinking, given the movie’s bar setting, and customers get involved in drunken altercations. —Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024

Tournament organizers cut off alcohol sales later that day when the massive crowd inside the gates proved too much for security and began wreaking drunken havoc. —Sam Kmack, The Arizona Republic, 21 Mar. 2024

Various guest stars appear to act out these drunken ramblings, even lip-syncing to the more ridiculous statements from the storyteller. —Kevin Jacobsen and Hope Lasater, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2024

After an almost year-long break from touring in the United States, Grupo Firme has announced the tour dates to its La Última Peda stint — which loosely translates to the last drunken tour — set to kick off May 10 in San Antonio. —Griselda Flores, Billboard, 18 Mar. 2024

Then, during training camp, Layne got charged with drunken driving. —Bill Morris, Detroit Free Press, 28 Jan. 2024

Cora Owens took in her nephew after a drunken driver killed her sister in Gallup, New Mexico, a remote town surrounded by Navajo lands. —USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English druncen, from past participle of drincan to drink

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing drunken

• drunken driver
• drunken driving

Kids Definition

drunken

adjective

drunk·​en ˈdrəŋ-kən 

1

a

: drunk entry 2 sense 1

b

: having a habit of drinking too much alcohol

2

a

: resulting from being drunk

a drunken brawl

b

: drunk entry 2 sense 3b

drunkenly adverb

drunkenness

-kən-nəs 

noun

Medical Definition

drunken

adjective

drunk·​en ˈdrəŋ-kən 

1

: drunk sense 1

a drunken driver

2

a

: given to habitual excessive use of alcohol

b

: of, relating to, or characterized by intoxication

drunken parties

c

: resulting from or as if from intoxication

a drunken stupor

drunkenly adverb

drunkenness

-kən-nəs 

noun