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
- intoxicatingly adverb
- nonintoxicating adjective
- nonintoxicatingly adverb
- unintoxicating adjective
Etymology
Origin of intoxicating
First recorded in 1625–35; intoxicat(e) + -ing 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.
It smells like any other tree—dusty and woody —but I know that deep inside is an intoxicating scent.
From Literature
That's what makes this season so intoxicating; so much jeopardy, so much unpredictability and so many teams who have come to the party.
From BBC
There’s the bubbling hum of rice boiling on the stove, the intoxicating aroma of warm milk infused with jaggery and fresh pods of cardamom filling the house with a scent no candle could compete with.
From Salon
The dirty laundry triggered an avalanche of press coverage when the album arrived in November, but the songs have lingered as everyone remembers just how well Allen can craft an intoxicating pop hook.
From BBC
Until “Anónimo,” the Argentine avant-garde had never sounded so intoxicatingly sensuous.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
