as in drunk
a person who makes a habit of getting drunk
one can be a social drinker without turning into an alcoholic
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bibulous
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of alcoholic
Joe Smith, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Because his subject was surrounded by colorful and often unpredictable characters—alcoholics, neurotics, and blowhards—Perkins’s self-effacing qualities make for a dramatic contrast and a wealth of wild stories.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 9 Feb. 2026
Beer is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages on the market.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for alcoholic
Noun
Walsh, a recovering alcoholic, knows from experience how a program like this can change a life.
—Joe Smith, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Because his subject was surrounded by colorful and often unpredictable characters—alcoholics, neurotics, and blowhards—Perkins’s self-effacing qualities make for a dramatic contrast and a wealth of wild stories.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
In addition to many wines, Gallo has a bevy of spirits in its portfolio (either as owner or distributor), including Amaro Montenegro, Don Fulano tequila, Jura single malt scotch, and one of the best-selling alcoholic seltzers, High Noon.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 9 Feb. 2026
Beer is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages on the market.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for alcoholic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alcoholic
Noun
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The movie follows a group of petty cheats, liars and drunks who are duped by nefarious opportunists who visit their crumbling town.—
John Penner,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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On average, one person is killed around every 42 minutes in a drunk-driving accident, totaling more than 12,000 deaths each year.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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From that bibulous beginning, Mr. Epstein became a driving force behind the Library of America, which published its first books in 1979.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
5 Feb. 2022
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But how differently would the Iron Lady have handled Brexit or Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU’s bibulous president?—
Philip Delves Broughton,
WSJ,
16 Nov. 2018
Noun
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Caffeinated coffee drinkers also showed a lower prevalence of cognitive decline, the researchers said.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
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Among tea drinkers, people who consumed the most had a 14% lower risk than those who consumed the least.—
Lindsey Leake,
NBC news,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Celine sculptures possess a dissolute drama, their icy white light toggling between the enticing and the clinical.—
Rachel Wetzler,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
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The extravagant, dissolute life Prince Albert II of Monaco continues to bolster arguments of those who think that hereditary monarchies should not be allowed to exist in the 21st century.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
18 June 2025
Noun
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These laws also applied to habitual drunkards, the mentally ill and others determined to be dangerous to the public.—
Morgan Marietta,
The Conversation,
15 Jan. 2026
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In the 1880s, a New York heiress with an active and unorthodox social life was declared a habitual drunkard, placed under a legal guardianship, and later confined to an asylum.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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There were months of speculation that Sam Levinson’s debauched series—about teenagers getting up to stuff no parent ever wants to know about—wouldn’t be able to get off the ground for a third run thanks to the new star power and busy schedules of its cast (Zendaya!—
Lucy Ford,
Time,
27 Dec. 2025
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The film follows a wealthy socialite and a struggling writer who are thrown together at a debauched party.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Doctors deal each day with tales of the worried, sullen, skeptical, dissipated, desperate.—
Michael Stein,
BostonGlobe.com,
4 Nov. 2022
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White’s dissipated dark side was no secret to his friends.—
Nancy Bilyeau,
Town & Country,
1 Feb. 2022
Adjective
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Austen wrings a great deal of humor from Lady Bertram’s dopey languor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
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McGhee’s humor and anticapitalist critique reminded me of George Saunders and Karen Russell; dopey, affable Abernathy also gets his redemption.—
Erin Somers,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alcoholic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alcoholic. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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