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

Starbucks this month launched its own caffeinated Refreshers drinks, along with the option to add energy shots to its existing line of fruity drinks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Researchers analyzed how consumption of caffeinated coffee, tea, and decaffeinated coffee related to long-term brain health outcomes.

From Science Daily • Mar. 18, 2026

They’re revived — buzzing, even; at the glorious point in the caffeinated beverage where everything is beautiful, nothing hurts and at least one of them feels like a creative genius.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

He considers the quality of the caffeinated beverages to be "pretty good".

From Barron's • Nov. 16, 2025

This was his weekly treat: to visit the bookshop, buy an overpriced caffeinated drink, read as much as he could for free, and become Obinze again.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie