alcoholic

American  

[al-kuh-haw-lik, -hol-ik] / ˌæl kəˈhɔ lɪk, -ˈhɒl ɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or of the nature of alcohol.

   The fermented milk has a mildly alcoholic flavor.

2. containing or using alcohol.

   The bar serves beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages.

3. caused by alcohol.

   alcoholic fermentation.

4. of or like a person with alcoholism or alcohol use disorder.

   She hadn’t seen or spoken to her alcoholic aunt in over a decade.

5. preserved in alcohol.

   Tissue shrinking in alcoholic specimens did not affect nuclear composition.

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noun

1. Sometimes Offensive. a person with alcoholism or alcohol use disorder; a person addicted to intoxicating drinks: Prescription medications are available to help alcoholics get sober and stay that way.

   He’s a self-described alcoholic.

   Prescription medications are available to help alcoholics get sober and stay that way.

alcoholic British  

/ ˌælkəˈhɒlɪk /

noun

1. a person affected by alcoholism

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adjective

1. of, relating to, containing, or resulting from alcohol

Sensitive Note

See addict.

Related Words

See inebriate.

Other Word Forms

• alcoholically
  adverb
• semialcoholic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of alcoholic

First recorded in 1780–90; alcohol + -ic

Explanation

Something that's alcoholic contains alcohol. At a party, the host may offer a pitcher of alcoholic punch and another of non-alcoholic punch. Use alcoholic to describe something that has alcohol in it, or otherwise has to do with alcohol. Alcoholic cider, for example, is fermented, and drinking too much can be intoxicating. The noun alcoholic means a person who's dependent on alcohol, whose drinking has become compulsive and unhealthy. This meaning developed in the late 1800s, from the earlier term alcoholist. The group Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935 for alcoholics to help themselves and others quit drinking.

Example Sentences

The board oversees the state’s property tax system as well as the alcoholic beverage tax and tax on insurers.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

That sort of disdain is still present in the industry -- no-alcohol wines still struggle to match their alcoholic equivalents for complexity and taste -- but attitudes are changing fast.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

The company said the two brands both reflect the consumer's move away from alcoholic beverages to "adult soft drinks".

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

I’m not an alcoholic, but I have way too many homes and I spend way too much on travel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

After the Georgia legislature declared a prohibition against alcoholic beverages in 1907, Papa quit making or drinking beer—he believed in being law-abiding—and the churches started using fruit nectars instead of wine.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

Related Words

• hard
• spirituous