1
: drunk sense 1
a drunken driver
2
obsolete
: saturated with liquid
3
a
: given to habitual excessive use of alcohol
b
: of, relating to, or characterized by intoxication
they come from … broken homes, drunken homes—
P. B. Gilliam
P. B. Gilliam
c
: resulting from or as if from intoxication
a drunken brawl
4
: unsteady or lurching as if from alcoholic intoxication
drunkenly
adverb
Examples of drunken in a Sentence
The streets were filled with drunken revelers on New Year's Eve.
He lives in an apartment with his drunken mother.
He fell into a drunken stupor.
A drunken brawl broke out at the bar.
Recent Examples on the Web
The show’s focus puller also does the Lord’s work in the last shot of the beat, just after Deborah’s face turns and looks toward the camera, flashing red for one desperate second before going fuzzy and indistinct, like a drunken exhale.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 3 June 2025
The officer, Robert Phillips, was accused of intentionally causing the death of Jesse Fischer, whom Phillips suspected of drunken driving, in October 2021.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2025
To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, billions for useless sound walls and drunken football fans, but not one penny for mental health.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 8 May 2025
Scenes of chaos and drunken violence all over Russia today as over 350 flights are grounded or canceled due to drone attacks.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for drunken
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 3 June 2025
The officer, Robert Phillips, was accused of intentionally causing the death of Jesse Fischer, whom Phillips suspected of drunken driving, in October 2021.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2025
To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, billions for useless sound walls and drunken football fans, but not one penny for mental health.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 8 May 2025
Scenes of chaos and drunken violence all over Russia today as over 350 flights are grounded or canceled due to drone attacks.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for drunken
Cite this Entry
“Drunken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drunken. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
drunken
adjective
drunk·en
ˈdrəŋ-kən 
1
b
: having a habit of drinking too much alcohol
2
a
: resulting from being drunk
a drunken brawl
drunkenly
adverb
Medical Definition
drunken
adjective
drunk·en
ˈdrəŋ-kən
1
: drunk sense 1
a drunken driver
2
a
: given to habitual excessive use of alcohol
b
: of, relating to, or characterized by intoxication
drunken parties
c
: resulting from or as if from intoxication
a drunken stupor
drunkenly
adverb
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