adjective
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intoxicated with or as if with alcohol
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frequently or habitually drunk
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(prenominal) caused by or relating to alcoholic intoxication
a drunken brawl
Usage
See drunk.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of drunken
Variant of drunk adj. and past participle
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.
The series’ musical landscape also includes a myriad of folk songs, such as the drunken tavern tune “Alice With Three Fingers” and the childish rhyming couplets of “The Hammer and the Anvil.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
"Vooaaria!" the bird croaked, a concoction of sounds that resembled a drunken old man.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
Even Richard Nixon in his darkest, and sometimes drunken, moments had the good sense, or at least the protection afforded by his aides, to keep his most sadistic thoughts private.
From Salon ● Apr. 8, 2026
PC Pritchard, who joined North Wales Police as a trainee in 2023, admitted her drunken behaviour was inappropriate, but denied it was gross misconduct.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025
Malachy isn’t in a ditch, he’s there in our own house eating fish and chips a drunken soldier dropped at the gate of the Sarsfield Barracks.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
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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.