as in dazed
suffering from mental confusion
punch-drunk from having stayed up all night, she struggled through the exam
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Recent Examples of punch-drunk
Guiducci arrives at a moment when some of that anger has subsided, and the punch-drunk culture seems counterintuitively eager to escape into nostalgia and tastemaking, splashy profiles, and — just sometimes — confrontational journalism.
—
Max Tani, semafor.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Having given us a punch-drunk vision of romantic dilemmas in her masterpiece of a debut, Song now delivers a more practical, hangover-adjacent look at how the human need for relationships gets turned into a bespoke luxury item.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2025
Only the most punch-drunk partisan would give Republicans as much as a 50-50 chance of succeeding Gavin Newsom.
—Mark Barabak, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025
It’s better described as a series of springy volleys backward and forward through time—the movie ping-pongs between 2019 and 2006, with stops in between—that leave you feeling a little dizzy, even a bit punch-drunk.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
The notion that anyone might make a beeline to turn this punch-drunk nonsense into a new Statham franchise seems unlikely.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Jan. 2024
What’s going on is that the movie is getting punch-drunk.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Mar. 2023
Max Tani, semafor.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Having given us a punch-drunk vision of romantic dilemmas in her masterpiece of a debut, Song now delivers a more practical, hangover-adjacent look at how the human need for relationships gets turned into a bespoke luxury item.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2025
Only the most punch-drunk partisan would give Republicans as much as a 50-50 chance of succeeding Gavin Newsom.
—Mark Barabak, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025
It’s better described as a series of springy volleys backward and forward through time—the movie ping-pongs between 2019 and 2006, with stops in between—that leave you feeling a little dizzy, even a bit punch-drunk.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
The notion that anyone might make a beeline to turn this punch-drunk nonsense into a new Statham franchise seems unlikely.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Jan. 2024
What’s going on is that the movie is getting punch-drunk.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch-drunk
Adjective
-
The same woman who used to have fun behind her camera now seems sleepy, dazed, and even drugged.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Some seemed visibly dazed to suddenly be back in their homeland.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Wednesday confronts Bianca, who is bewildered about her Siren-song not sticking; Wednesday is taking control of things now and Bianca needs to trust her.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Layered in cream, bruised, bewildered, bald.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
While his wife and daughter build a new life in Vienna, Roman stays behind — confused, restless and convinced that things will get better.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
-
With nearby MPs training their guns on her, Ziva laid down her weapon and sprawled across the blacktop, looking up at a confused Tali.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Keen observers may witness small flocks of Phalaropes swimming in dizzy circles in the quiet ponds.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
-
There’s also something of the McIlroy highwire act with Alcaraz, especially in the breathless blitz of brilliance that rises to the top and then drops off from the dizzy heights of the rollercoaster.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The Lincoln Nautilus is an underappreciated contender in the luxury midsize SUV market, part of a brand that seems tired, itself part of an automaker that seems perpetually distracted, itself part of an automotive ecosystem that is awash in luxury midsize SUVs from very, very tough competitors.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
2 Sep. 2025
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In 1980, when Iraq’s president, Saddam Hussein, seized oil fields on the Iranian border, under the assumption that Iran was too distracted to object, Iran saw an opportunity to pivot to fighting external enemies.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Micah Parsons is officially a member of the Green Bay Packers, and members of the Dallas Cowboys are just as stunned as the rest of the NFL world.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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This time, a packed house at Arena Riga was the one left in a stunned silence.—
Bobby Krivitsky,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punch-drunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch-drunk. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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