- intoxicated with or as if with alcohol
- frequently or habitually drunk
- (prenominal) caused by or relating to alcoholic intoxication: a drunken brawl
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
drunk•en /ˈdrʌŋkən/USA pronunciation
adj. [before a noun]
drunk•en•ness, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- intoxicated;
drunk:the drunken man's inability to walk a straight line. - often or frequently drunk.
- relating to, caused by, or showing the effects of intoxication:a drunken quarrel.
drunk•en•ness, n. [uncountable]
- Compare the adjectives drunk and drunken. Both can be used with nouns that refer to persons:The man is drunk.A drunken customer.Drunken is used with nouns that do not refer to persons:a drunken party, a drunken quarrel.Only drunk can be used after the verb be, as in:He is really drunk;
we would not say: He is really drunken.Usually, drunk is not used before a noun, unless the noun is driver, driving:a drunk driver;
we would not say: a drunk girl.
drunk•en
(drung′kən),USA pronunciation adj.
drunk′en•ly, adv.
drunk′en•ness, n.
- intoxicated;
drunk. - given to drunkenness.
- pertaining to, caused by, or marked by intoxication:a drunken quarrel.
- variant of drunk adjective, adjectival and past participle
drunk′en•ness, n.
- 1. . inebriated, tipsy, fuddled, besotted.
- 1. . sober.
- See drunk.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
drunken /ˈdrʌŋkən/ adj
'drunken' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):