- present participle of intoxicate.
intoxicating
Americanadjective
-
causing or capable of causing intoxication.
intoxicating beverages.
-
exhilarating; exciting.
an intoxicating idea.
adjective
-
(of an alcoholic drink) producing in a person a state ranging from euphoria to stupor, usually accompanied by loss of inhibitions and control; inebriating
-
stimulating, exciting, or producing great elation
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of intoxicating
First recorded in 1625–35; intoxicat(e) + -ing 2
Explanation
Something that's intoxicating is exciting and a bit disorienting. The intoxicating smell of your mom's lasagna might make you forget momentarily that you said you'd meet a friend for pizza. The adjective intoxicating is perfect for describing things that exhilarate or thrill you. The sound of an audience cheering for you at your accordion concert might feel intoxicating, and a ride on a roller coaster can also be wonderfully intoxicating. A more literal meaning of intoxicating is "making one drunk," and the word itself comes from a Latin root, "to poison."
Vocabulary lists containing intoxicating
The Haunting of Hill House
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The Battle of the Labyrinth
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The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
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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.
Intoxicating nostalgia and the sorrow of unvarnished reality travel hand in hand.
From New York Times • Nov. 1, 2011
Intoxicating perfumes were wafted from the surrounding shores; some of these islands pelted us with a rain of white roses and lilies-of-the-valley; from others there rose up suddenly long-winged birds, clothed in rainbow hues.
From A Reckless Character And Other Stories by Hapgood, Isabel Florence
Intoxicating drinks were unknown to the sedentary inhabitants of New Mexico previous to the advent of Europeans.
From The Delight Makers by Bandelier, Adolph Francis Alphonse
Intoxicating joy is it for the sufferer to look away from his suffering and forget himself.
From Thus Spake Zarathustra A book for all and none by Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm
Intoxicating, yet, as she envisaged it, disquieting likewise.
From Deadham Hard by Malet, Lucas
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.
