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Synonyms

alky

American  
[al-kee] / ˈæl ki /

noun

Slang.

plural

alkies

  1. Disparaging and Offensive. a person with alcoholism or alcohol use disorder; an alcoholic.

  2. alcohol.

alky British  
/ ˈælkɪ /

noun

  1. slang a heavy drinker or alcoholic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of alky

First recorded in 1840–50; respelling of alc(ohol) + -y 2

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.

She has some of the bruised sweetness of Denis Johnson’s alkies and junkies in “Jesus’ Son.”

From New York Times

The eventual result from the alky is supposed to be a high-octane, clean-burning gasoline with anti-knock properties.

From Chicago Tribune

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges for his role as an alky singer in Crazy Heart.

From Time

Using an alky is a secondary attempt in the refining process to convert more oil into gasoline using acid to rearrange molecules.

From Chicago Tribune

But from Aug. 13 to Aug. 17, one of the feeds into the alky didn't have the correct properties.

From Chicago Tribune

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.