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
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
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
But when those synths get more fried, the glitchiness melts away, and that slurry singsong becomes a drunken, glorious shout.
—Pitchfork, 10 Dec. 2025
On Saturday morning, an employee at the Ashland, Virginia-area liquor store found the trash panda passed out on the bathroom floor at the end of his drunken escapade.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 5 Dec. 2025
On Saturday morning, an employee at the Ashland-area liquor store found the trash panda passed out on the bathroom floor at the end of his drunken escapade.
—CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Gone is the attention to process and scuzzy detail that made the first heist film notable, replaced here by a wild, drunken emotional energy that dispenses with story logic and clarity.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drunken
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Pitchfork, 10 Dec. 2025
On Saturday morning, an employee at the Ashland, Virginia-area liquor store found the trash panda passed out on the bathroom floor at the end of his drunken escapade.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 5 Dec. 2025
On Saturday morning, an employee at the Ashland-area liquor store found the trash panda passed out on the bathroom floor at the end of his drunken escapade.
—CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Gone is the attention to process and scuzzy detail that made the first heist film notable, replaced here by a wild, drunken emotional energy that dispenses with story logic and clarity.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drunken
Cite this Entry
“Drunken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drunken. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
drunken
adjective
drunk·en
ˈdrəŋ-kən 
1
b
: having a habit of drinking too much alcohol
2
a
: resulting from being drunk
a drunken brawl
drunkenly
adverb
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
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