drunkenness

Definition of drunkennessnext
1
as in alcoholism
habitual or excessive drinking of intoxicants unfortunately most of his time in college had been devoted to drunkenness and debauchery

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in inebriation
the condition of being drunk officials warning that public drunkenness would not be tolerated, even during Mardi Gras

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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 drunkenness His later years were plagued by illness, drunkenness, disappointment, and debt. — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026 Court paperwork shows Viviano was cited for public drunkenness and similar misconduct. — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 Not even Jeff being annoyed at Kasandra’s drunkenness can ruin the mood. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026 Avoiding hangovers and the effects of drunkenness were also commonly cited. — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2026 States have generally applied Clean Slate to non-violent, low-level offenses like writing a bad check, drug possession or public drunkenness. — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 30 May 2026 The City Council passed the measure to help deter public drunkenness and crime downstream from easy access to shooters and single-serving malt beverages. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026 The Puritans once banned the game shuffleboard, an occasion for gambling and drunkenness. — Brendan King, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence and studies showing that gun ownership and drunkenness can be a dangerous cocktail. — The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 14 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drunkenness
Noun
  • The film’s drama, though, centers more on Nakamura and Ei, who joined forces to compose a series of hits in the 1960s but quarreled and parted as Nakamura spiraled into alcoholism.
    — Mark Schilling, Variety, 28 Oct. 2026
  • In Rouse’s case, the energy department blamed alcoholism and family conflicts.
    — Lizz Giordano, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Ultimately, jurors sided with prosecutors whose 2023 criminal indictment outlined numerous instances of teens getting injured as a result of their inebriation under her watch.
    — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
  • Spike Jones and His City Slickers recorded their version with a flurry of wacky sound effects that made the inebriation seem even more soused.
    — David Morgan, CBS News, 14 May 2026
Noun
  • David Pedro Sopys, 46, had died three days earlier from hyperthermia, with drug intoxication being a contributing factor.
    — Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
  • One student survived, but the other later died from complications of acute fentanyl intoxication, according to investigators.
    — Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Drunkenness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drunkenness. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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