drunken
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
being under the influence of too much alcohol.
intoxicated by alcohol; used almost exclusively as an attributive adjective before a noun.
Simple“The police stopped a drunken driver who was swerving across the road.”
In context“The witness described a drunken man stumbling out of the tavern just moments before the accident occurred.”
UsageThis adjective is attributive, meaning it typically appears before the noun it describes.
PitfallThe man was drunken. The man was drunk.Use 'drunk' after a verb like 'be' or 'seem'. Use 'drunken' only before a noun, like 'a drunken man'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
happening because people have been drinking too much alcohol.
characterized by or resulting from intoxication.
Simple“The party ended in a drunken argument over who should pay the bill.”
In context“The evening descended into a drunken brawl that required the intervention of local security forces.”
Synonymsboozyrowdy - 03 C1 Advanced
describes someone who is often drunk or has a problem with alcohol.
given to habitual excessive consumption of alcohol; often carries a derogatory or judgmental tone.
Simple“In the old story, the hero's father was a drunken man who lost the family farm.”
In context“The magistrate noted the defendant's long history of drunken behavior and public disturbance.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is often found in literature or formal legal contexts to describe a person's character rather than a temporary state.
Synonyms
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”).
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.