caffeinated

American  

[kaf-uh-ney-tid] / ˈkæf əˌneɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. containing caffeine.

   a caffeinated soft drink.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of caffeinate.

caffeinated British  

/ ˈkæfɪˌneɪtəd /

adjective

1. 1. with no natural caffeine removed

   2. with added caffeine

2. highly stimulated by caffeine

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Etymology

Origin of caffeinated

caffeine + -ate ¹ + -ed ²

Explanation

Use caffeinated to describe anything that contains the stimulant typically found in coffee, like your caffeinated iced tea or your caffeinated co-workers who drink lattes all day. If you're drinking a beverage that has caffeine in it, it's caffeinated — and now, so are you! Tea and coffee are naturally caffeinated; in fact, if they're specifically described as caffeinated, it's to distinguish them from decaffeinated varieties, in which the caffeine has been removed. Caffeinated is from caffeine, which was coined by a 19th-century chemist from Kaffee, "coffee" in German, and the chemical suffix -ine.

Example Sentences

The findings remained consistent regardless of gender, coffee intake, caffeinated versus decaffeinated coffee, smoking habits, or study duration.

From Science Daily • May 18, 2026

New research suggests that drinking a moderate amount of caffeinated coffee or tea could help lower the risk of dementia as people age.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2026

A bitter, caffeinated tea from South America, it's traditionally served hot with a straw, but is also available chilled.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

On a trip to the highly caffeinated capital of Vietnam, options for a pick-me-up range from traditional egg coffee to wild fruit-infused inventions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Candice hoped it was water, but was pretty sure it was something sugary and caffeinated.

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson