adjective
-
intoxicated with or as if with alcohol
-
frequently or habitually drunk
-
(prenominal) caused by or relating to alcoholic intoxication
a drunken brawl
Usage
See drunk.
Other Word Forms
- drunkenly adverb
- drunkenness noun
- half-drunken adjective
- undrunken adjective
Etymology
Origin of drunken
Variant of drunk adj. and past participle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even Richard Nixon in his darkest, and sometimes drunken, moments had the good sense, or at least the protection afforded by his aides, to keep his most sadistic thoughts private.
From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026
PC Pritchard, who joined North Wales Police as a trainee in 2023, admitted her drunken behaviour was inappropriate, but denied it was gross misconduct.
From BBC • Dec. 4, 2025
His "drunken monkey" hypothesis initially met resistance from many scientists, especially primatologists, who argued that primates in the wild do not commonly eat fermented fruits or nectar.
From Science Daily • Dec. 1, 2025
“Are people going to just spend like drunken sailors for this holiday season, and then next year it’s like, ‘Well, we did all our shopping then.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 28, 2025
“He finds help. A clever talking squirrel. An old drunken swordsman. A mad hermit in the woods. That sort of thing.”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
