1 drunken | Definition of drunken

drunken

adjective
drunk·​en | \ ˈdrəŋ-kÉ™n How to pronounce drunken (audio) \

Definition of drunken

1 : drunk sense 1 a drunken driver
2 obsolete : saturated with liquid
3a : 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

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Other Words from drunken

drunkenly adverb
drunkenness \ ˈdrəŋ-​kÉ™n-​nÉ™s How to pronounce drunkenness (audio) \ noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for drunken

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 (or squiffy), stewed, stiff, stinking [slang], stoned, tanked [slang], tiddly [chiefly British], tight, tipsy, wasted [slang], wet, wiped out [slang]

Antonyms

sober, straight

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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web

The assignment will inevitably draw comparisons to Webb’s most recent stint as a Cook County special prosecutor: the probe of the 2004 death of David Koschman during a drunken altercation with a nephew of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley. Jason Meisner, chicagotribune.com, "Former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb given far-reaching mandate to investigate Jussie Smollett case: ‘The facts will take me where they take me’," 24 Aug. 2019 Bean-thread noodles make an appearance in pad woon sen, stir-fried alongside egg and vegetables in soy sauce, while drunken noodles marry wide, flat rice noodles with vegetables and basil in a spicy garlic sauce. Rachel Lebeaux, BostonGlobe.com, "Pho O-Sha is a sure winner in Watertown," 21 Aug. 2019 Under his charge, she's carted to the barracks as a singing reminder of home for lecherous, drunken soldiers who have no interest in her voice. Garrett Mitchell, azcentral, "'The Nightingale' is a disturbingly brutal meditation on revenge from 'Babadook' filmmaker," 21 Aug. 2019 Another missed opportunity, according to the audit, came when the electronic notification from Connecticut about Zhukovskyy drunken-driving charges arrived on May 29, the same day the file was accessed. Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, "Audit details the 7 seconds that might have prevented 7 deaths in N.H. motorcycle crash," 17 Aug. 2019 Jordon Armstrong does it, gloriously, as the drunken Porter. sun-sentinel.com, "Review: A dark and earnest ‘Macbeth’ from New City Players," 16 Aug. 2019 The logline is under wraps but is said to explore how a drunken ‪one-night‬ stand leads to a secret relationship that eventually becomes public, surprising both friends and family of the couple given that neither is typically the other's type. Tatiana Siegel, The Hollywood Reporter, "Gabrielle Union to Star in Screen Gems Rom-Com (Exclusive)," 15 Aug. 2019 The right number gets you a float pulled by a pickup truck down French Quarter streets, from which drunken people throw beads and hit random passersby in the head. Sarah M. Broom, The New Yorker, "Who Stays Gone, and Who Can Afford to Return," 12 Aug. 2019 The initiative is part of the sheriff's office crash reduction strategy that has focused on drunken driving, speeding, stop sign offenses, seat belt violations and other enforcement initiatives. Jesse Garza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Dodge County Sheriff's Office to identify alleged drunken drivers on social media," 10 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'drunken.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of drunken

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

History and Etymology for drunken

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

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More Definitions for drunken

drunken

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of drunken

: drunk or often becoming drunk
: caused by drinking too much alcohol
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