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
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
- squiffy
- stewed
- stiff
- stinking [slang]
- stoned
- tanked [slang]
- tiddly [chiefly British]
- tight
- tipsy
- wasted [slang]
- wet
- wiped out [slang]
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
An online fundraiser organized through GoFundMe for medical and funeral expenses for one of the many families injured in what authorities said was a drunken driving crash Saturday at a child’s boat club birthday party has raised more than $200,000.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 23 Apr. 2024
Days before the August 2023 incident, a Marion restaurant owner who was seeking a liquor license alleged that the Record had illegally obtained information about a previous drunken driving conviction, which would jeopardize the application under Kansas law.
—Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
According to a news release from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in 2023, 30 crashes statewide involving a drunken driver took place on St. Patrick’s Day in 2020, 2021 and 2022, with 24 injuries and six fatalities.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 11 Mar. 2024
The jury also learned of a drunken kitchen confession in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, that Womack’s uncle, Mark McGee, testified the defendant offered.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2024
After his fall from grace in 2011 following multiple antisemitic drunken outbursts, an event that resulted in a court sentencing and sacking from his job as creative director of Dior, Galliano was kicked out of this elite fashion club.
—TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
On Wednesday, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office charged Rodriguez Jalapa with two counts of drunken driving and one count of threatening a peace officer.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
The man faces charges of drunken driving and obstructing a police officer, police said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Mary is there, taking hilarious and increasingly drunken shots at the shallowness of the crowd (Kaufman and Hart were said to have based her on Dorothy Parker), but when Charley’s name is mentioned Frank freezes.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 23 Apr. 2024
Days before the August 2023 incident, a Marion restaurant owner who was seeking a liquor license alleged that the Record had illegally obtained information about a previous drunken driving conviction, which would jeopardize the application under Kansas law.
—Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
According to a news release from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in 2023, 30 crashes statewide involving a drunken driver took place on St. Patrick’s Day in 2020, 2021 and 2022, with 24 injuries and six fatalities.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 11 Mar. 2024
The jury also learned of a drunken kitchen confession in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, that Womack’s uncle, Mark McGee, testified the defendant offered.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2024
After his fall from grace in 2011 following multiple antisemitic drunken outbursts, an event that resulted in a court sentencing and sacking from his job as creative director of Dior, Galliano was kicked out of this elite fashion club.
—TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
On Wednesday, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office charged Rodriguez Jalapa with two counts of drunken driving and one count of threatening a peace officer.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
The man faces charges of drunken driving and obstructing a police officer, police said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Mary is there, taking hilarious and increasingly drunken shots at the shallowness of the crowd (Kaufman and Hart were said to have based her on Dorothy Parker), but when Charley’s name is mentioned Frank freezes.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drunken.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near drunken
Cite this Entry
“Drunken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drunken. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share