besotted

[bih-sot-id]

adjective

1. infatuated or obsessed.

   The besotted mom showed off pictures of her new baby.

   They had one date and he was utterly besotted.

2. intoxicated; drunk.

   We found him besotted with wine.

besotted

/ bɪˈsɒtɪd /

adjective

1. stupefied with drink; intoxicated

2. infatuated; doting

3. foolish; muddled

Other Word Forms

• besottedly adverb
• besottedness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of besotted¹

First recorded in 1580–90; besot + -ed ²

Example Sentences

This summer is the 20th anniversary of his U.S. debut — at 24 years old — conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and becoming irrepressibly besotted with the amphitheater.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A man apparently so besotted with his faith, he managed to grab a few awkward minutes with Pope Francis before the poor guy could shuffle off the mortal coil.

Read more on Salon

Her outrageous request is granted after she dances the dance of the seven veils for her besotted stepfather, in a play that careens into multiple taboos under biblical cover.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Like so many Americans of a certain class and character, he’s besotted with the British royal family and insisted, in defiance of all available evidence, that he was good friends with the late Queen Elizabeth.

Read more on Salon

"Kissing me under the indigo / I begged for the morning sun not to rise / Oh, what a beautiful starry night," she sings, totally besotted, on the ballad Indigo.

Read more on BBC