as in drunk
a person who makes a habit of getting drunk
one can be a social drinker without turning into an alcoholic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bibulous
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of alcoholic
Max Gao, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2025
His mother was a gregarious Little League Baseball booster and history buff, but also an alcoholic living in the balance.
—NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
That gap is exactly what Shanna Watkins, Ashlyn Knox, and Darean Rhodes set out to fill with Sensori, a non-alcoholic functional beverage built with Black women in mind from day one.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alcoholic
Noun
In a career-best performance that could very well earn him his third acting nomination at the Academy Awards (and his fifth overall), Hawke captures Hart’s many contradictions as both a brilliant songwriter and an alcoholic with a penchant for self-destructive behavior.
—Max Gao, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2025
His mother was a gregarious Little League Baseball booster and history buff, but also an alcoholic living in the balance.
—NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Its Cantina format, typically found in cities, features a custom menu, alcoholic beverages and seating meant to encourage customers to linger.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
That gap is exactly what Shanna Watkins, Ashlyn Knox, and Darean Rhodes set out to fill with Sensori, a non-alcoholic functional beverage built with Black women in mind from day one.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alcoholic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alcoholic
Noun
-
When Macy was growing up, her mother worked in a factory and her dad was known as the town drunk.—
Alex Kotlowitz,
The Atlantic,
29 Oct. 2025
-
His inability to make hard decisions or abstain from becoming a maudlin, clingy drunk had transformed me from his girlfriend and lover into his mother and disciplinarian.—
Julia Ioffe,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
From that bibulous beginning, Mr. Epstein became a driving force behind the Library of America, which published its first books in 1979.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
5 Feb. 2022
-
But how differently would the Iron Lady have handled Brexit or Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU’s bibulous president?—
Philip Delves Broughton,
WSJ,
16 Nov. 2018
Noun
-
The study underscores the need for better and more targeted public health messaging, particularly to address misconceptions held by avid drinkers.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The absence of either can and should feel like a big red flag to drinkers.—
Oset Babür-Winter,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The extravagant, dissolute life Prince Albert II of Monaco continues to bolster arguments of those who think that hereditary monarchies should not be allowed to exist in the 21st century.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
18 June 2025
-
Nick, a prequel to the original, offers us Carraway’s backstory as a soldier in World War I and a wanderer trying to find his way in a dissolute world.—
Danielle Teller,
People.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In the 1880s, a New York heiress with an active and unorthodox social life was declared a habitual drunkard, placed under a legal guardianship, and later confined to an asylum.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Ben and Anne are written out of the will for being a drunkard and a woman, respectively.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The film follows a wealthy socialite and a struggling writer who are thrown together at a debauched party.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Doctors deal each day with tales of the worried, sullen, skeptical, dissipated, desperate.—
Michael Stein,
BostonGlobe.com,
4 Nov. 2022
-
White’s dissipated dark side was no secret to his friends.—
Nancy Bilyeau,
Town & Country,
1 Feb. 2022
Adjective
-
Squishmallows 12-inch Maui the Pineapple Plush for $9 ($8 off): This medium-size plush has a dopey little smile and a green leaf crown, and many very happy customer reviews.—
Louryn Strampe,
Wired News,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Its central character, Chevy Chase's Clark W. Griswold, is a dopey dad trying to keep it together amid an escalating series of exasperating frustrations and ignoble temptations.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Alcoholic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alcoholic. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share