drunken

drunk·en
D2R1U1N1K5E1N1
/ˈdɹʌŋkən/

adjective

Drunk, in the state of intoxication after having drunk an alcoholic beverage.

“a drunken display of crude exuberance”

Similar
drunkbibulousboozysottishintoxicatedinebriated
OriginMiddle English drunken ← Old English druncen ← Proto-Germanic *drunkanaz →
Less commonScrabble 12
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Meanings

drunken1

verb
  1. archaicparticiplepaststill occasionally in juxtaposition with eatenpast participle of drink
adjectivedrunken (comparative more drunken, superlative most drunken)

comparative more drunken · superlative most drunken

  1. Drunk, in the state of intoxication after having drunk an alcoholic beverage.

    What shall we do with a drunken sailor? […] / Put him in the longboat and make him bail her / Early in the morning.

    a. 1830, Drunken Sailor (traditional sea shanty)
    1 more example

    I ask now to put faces to those names and remove all doubt that the songs I've heard sung in your honor were not a drunken bard's attempt to make a few extra coins. This mission is dire and the reward shall fit you well.[…]

    2014 December 23, Dallas S. Paskell, Medieval, Author House, →ISBN, page 389
  2. derogatoryGiven to habitual excessive use of alcohol.
  3. Characterized by or resulting from drunkenness.

    a drunken display of crude exuberance

    1 more example

    Surviving pictures of the accident show the two locomotives leaning at drunken angles, still covered with flags and evergreens—a mixture of comedy and tragedy.

    1945 September and October, C. Hamilton Ellis, “Royal Trains—V”, in Railway Magazine, page 252
  4. obsoleteSaturated with liquid.
    1. obsoleteApplied to various spicy stir-fried dishes in Asian cuisine.

      drunken noodles; drunken duck; drunken fried rice

drunken2

verbdrunken (third-person singular simple present drunkens, present participle drunkening, simple past and past participle drunkened)

present singular third person drunkens · participle present drunkening · participle past drunkened · past drunkened

  1. ambitransitiveTo make or become drunk or drunken; to intoxicate.

    The dreamy coloring of the land is just too drunkening.

    1985, Kay Dreyfus, Percy Aldridge Grainger, Farthest North of Humanness: Letters, page 31
    2 more examples

    Yea, upon a stoned couch and drunkened unto death upon the bittered draught of Rome!

    1917, Patience Worth, The Sorry Tale, page 153

    Dogma drunkens the Spirit, and while we indulge in our stupor, it robs us of our innate Spiritually Divine and Creative acuity . . . Love alone provides us with the much needed restorative properties of redemption.

    2011, William Peters, Good Morning my Beloved Family, page 31

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
drunk

adjectivegiven to or marked by the consumption of alcohol

Similar
bibulousboozysottishintoxicateddrunkinebriated
Also see
bibulousboozydrunkintoxicatesnockeredsottish

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

drunken · verb, adjective

  1. Proto-Germanic*drinkaną“to drink”
  2. Proto-Germanic*drunkanaz“drunken”
  3. Old Englishdruncen
  4. Middle Englishdrunken
  5. Englishdrunken

From Middle English drunken, ydronken, idrunken, from Old English druncen, ġedruncen (“drunk; drunken”), from Proto-Germanic *drunkanaz (“drunken”), past participle of Proto-Germanic *drinkaną (“to drink”), equivalent to drink + -en. Cognate with West Frisian dronken (“drunk; drunken”), Dutch dronken (“drunk; drunken”), German betrunken (“drunk; drunken”), Swedish drucken (“drunk; drunken”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

drunken · verb

  1. Proto-Germanic*drunkanaz“drunk; intoxicated”
  2. Proto-Germanic*drunkanōną“to get drunk”
  3. Old Englishdruncnian“to drown; get drunk”
  4. Middle Englishdronknen
  5. Englishdrunken

From Middle English dronknen, drunkenen, drunknen, from Old English druncnian (“to drown; get drunk”), from Proto-Germanic *drunkanōną (“to get drunk”), from Proto-Germanic *drunkanaz (“drunk; intoxicated”). Cognate with Norwegian drukne, drukna, Icelandic drukna.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek μέθυσος
  • μέθυσος (méthusos)In the state of alcoholic intoxication
Bulgarian пиян, пиянски
  • пиян (pijan)In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • пиянски (pijanski)given to habitual excessive use of alcohol
  • пиянски (pijanski)characterized by or resulting from drunkenness
Czech opilý
  • opilýIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
Danish beruset, fuld
  • berusetIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • fuldIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
Dutch dronken, zat
  • dronkenIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • zatIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • beschonkenIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
Esperanto ebria
  • ebriaIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
Finnish humalainen, juopunut
  • humalainenIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • juopunutIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • juopottelevagiven to habitual excessive use of alcohol
  • humalainencharacterized by or resulting from drunkenness
French ivre, saoul
  • ivreIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • saoulIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
German betrunken, trunken
  • betrunkenIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • trunkenIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
Hindi मदिर
  • मदिर (madir)In the state of alcoholic intoxication
Hungarian részeg, ittas
  • részegIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • ittasIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
Indonesian mabuk
  • mabukIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
Irish meisciúil
  • meisciúilIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
Italian ubriaco, ebbro
  • ubriacoIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • ebbroIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
Japanese 酔っ払い, 酔っ払う
  • 酔っ払い (yopparai)In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • 酔っ払う (yopparau)In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • 酔い (yoi)In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • 酔う (you)In the state of alcoholic intoxication
Latin ēbrius, tēmulentus
  • ēbriusIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • tēmulentusIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
Māori haurangi, porohaurangi
  • haurangiIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • porohaurangiIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
Persian سرخوش
  • سرخوش (sarxoš)In the state of alcoholic intoxication
Portuguese bêbado
  • bêbadoIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
Romanian beat, băut
  • beatIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • băutIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • îmbătatIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
Russian пья́ный
  • пья́ный (pʹjányj)In the state of alcoholic intoxication
Spanish borracho, ebrio
  • borrachoIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • ebrioIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • escabioIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • escabiadoIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • escabiadorgiven to habitual excessive use of alcohol
  • escabiocharacterized by or resulting from drunkenness
  • emborrachar(ambitransitive) To make or become drunk or drunken; to intoxicate.
  • embeodar(ambitransitive) To make or become drunk or drunken; to intoxicate.
Swedish drucken, full
  • druckenIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • fullIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
Turkish sarhoş, esrik
  • sarhoşIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • esrikIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • içkiliIn the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • küplüIn the state of alcoholic intoxication

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with drunken

Duncansunkenshrunkenbedrunken
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

drunken. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drunken

MLA

“drunken.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drunken. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “drunken,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drunken.

Source: drunken on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.