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 drunken gunman, the whistleblower said, came out of an unlicensed after-hours bar near Morris Ave.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026
On June 18, 2025, a jury found Read not guilty of second-degree murder, drunken driving manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident – clearing her name after three years of legal battles.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 31 Dec. 2025
Another allegation describes a drunken joyride in which a teen boy suffered a serious head injury after falling from an SUV reportedly driven by O’Connor in the Los Gatos High School parking lot.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
Lucy and Stephen are back together, but trust is shaky between them, especially now that Stephen knows about Lucy's drunken hookup with Evan (Branden Cook).
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drunken
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Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026
On June 18, 2025, a jury found Read not guilty of second-degree murder, drunken driving manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident – clearing her name after three years of legal battles.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 31 Dec. 2025
Another allegation describes a drunken joyride in which a teen boy suffered a serious head injury after falling from an SUV reportedly driven by O’Connor in the Los Gatos High School parking lot.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
Lucy and Stephen are back together, but trust is shaky between them, especially now that Stephen knows about Lucy's drunken hookup with Evan (Branden Cook).
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Dec. 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 6 Jan. 2026.
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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