Standard Lemma guide

drunken

adj · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈdɹʌŋkən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʌŋkən
  • CMU ARPABET: D R AH1 NG K AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Given to habitual excessive use of alcohol.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Characterized by or resulting from drunkenness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a drunken display of crude exuberance

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Saturated with liquid.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Saturated with liquid.

Applied to various spicy stir-fried dishes in Asian cuisine.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

Examples

  • drunken noodles; drunken duck; drunken fried rice

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

past participle of drink

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, form-of, participle, past

Qualifier: still occasionally in juxtaposition with eaten

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To make or become drunk or drunken; to intoxicate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

given to or marked by the consumption of alcohol

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a bibulous fellow
  • a bibulous evening
  • his boozy drinking companions
  • thick boozy singing
  • a drunken binge
  • two drunken gentlemen holding each other up
  • sottish behavior

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bibulous, boozy, sottish

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

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.

Across languages

Translations

68 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bashkir: иҫерек (iśerek) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Bulgarian: пиян (pijan) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Cherokee: ᎤᏴᏍᏕᏓ (uyvsdeda) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Czech: opilý — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Danish: beruset — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Danish: fuld — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Dutch: dronken — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Dutch: zat — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Dutch: beschonken — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Esperanto: ebria — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Finnish: humalainen — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Finnish: juopunut — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • French: ivre — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • French: saoul — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Friulian: bevût — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Georgian: მთვრალი (mtvrali) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Georgian: დამთვრალი (damtvrali) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Georgian: ნასვამი (nasvami) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • German: betrunken — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • German: trunken — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Gothic: 𐌳𐍂𐌿𐌲𐌺𐌰𐌽𐍃 (drugkans) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Ancient Greek: μέθυσος (méthusos) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Hindi: मदिर (madir) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Hungarian: részeg — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Hungarian: ittas — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Indonesian: mabuk — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Irish: meisciúil — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Italian: ubriaco — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Italian: ebbro — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Japanese: 酔っ払い (yopparai) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Japanese: 酔っ払う (yopparau) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Japanese: 酔い (yoi) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Japanese: 酔う (you) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Latin: ēbrius — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Latin: tēmulentus — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Low German: bedrunken — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Macedonian: пијан (pijan) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Manx: meshtoil — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Māori: haurangi — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Māori: porohaurangi — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Persian: سرخوش (sarxoš) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Plautdietsch: bedrunken — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Portuguese: bêbado — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Romanian: beat — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Romanian: băut — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Romanian: îmbătat — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Russian: пья́ный (pʹjányj) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Sanskrit: मत्त (matta) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Sanskrit: प्रमत्त (pramatta) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Spanish: borracho — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Spanish: ebrio — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Spanish: escabio — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Spanish: escabiado — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Swedish: drucken — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Swedish: full — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Turkish: sarhoş — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Turkish: esrik — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Turkish: içkili — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Turkish: küplü — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Ottoman Turkish: سرخوش (sarhoş) — In the state of alcoholic intoxication
  • Bulgarian: пиянски (pijanski) — given to habitual excessive use of alcohol
  • Finnish: juopotteleva — given to habitual excessive use of alcohol
  • Spanish: escabiador — given to habitual excessive use of alcohol
  • Bulgarian: пиянски (pijanski) — characterized by or resulting from drunkenness
  • Finnish: humalainen — characterized by or resulting from drunkenness
  • Spanish: escabio — characterized by or resulting from drunkenness
  • Spanish: emborrachar — (ambitransitive) To make or become drunk or drunken; to intoxicate.
  • Spanish: embeodar — (ambitransitive) To make or become drunk or drunken; to intoxicate.
Real reading context

drunken in complete knowledge articles