social drinker

noun

1. a person who drinks alcoholic beverages mainly in the company of others and who generally does not drink to excess.

Other Word Forms

• social drinking noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of social drinker¹

First recorded in 1845–50

Example Sentences

She'd always been a social drinker, but monitored her alcohol intake carefully.

From BBC

"But I'm not much of a social drinker anyway," she said.

From BBC

Like me, Emma was a social drinker, with a successful career and vibrant social life.

From BBC

He’s a social drinker and doesn’t take any drugs either.

From Los Angeles Times

Doug, whom his father had introduced to beer at 13, had been a heavy drinker himself, he said, “to the point of blackout” as a college student, and a social drinker thereafter.

From New York Times