Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Intoxicated with alcohol; drunk: Describes a person who is under the influence of alcohol to a noticeable degree.
   • Resulting from or characterized by intoxication: Describes actions, states, or events caused by or occurring during drunkenness.
   • Habitually drunk; given to excessive drinking: Describes a person who frequently drinks to excess.

Usage and Examples

• Describing a person:
  • The police arrested the drunken man for causing a disturbance.
  • He gave a long, drunken speech at the wedding.
• Describing behavior or events:
  • The party ended in a drunken brawl.
  • They made a drunken promise to stay friends forever.
• Used attributively (before a noun):
  • She was tired of his drunken stupors every weekend.
  • The city has strict laws against drunken driving.

Advanced Usage and Notes

• "Drunken" vs. "Drunk": While both can mean intoxicated, "drunken" is typically used before a noun (attributively), as in "a drunken sailor." "Drunk" is more commonly used after a linking verb (predicatively), as in "The sailor was drunk." However, "drunk" can also be used before a noun in informal contexts.
• Figurative Use: Sometimes used metaphorically to describe a state of excess or lack of control not related to alcohol.
  • He was drunken with power after the promotion.

Variants and Related Words

• Drunk (adjective, noun): The more common synonym for intoxicated; also a person who is intoxicated or an alcoholic.
• Drunkenness (noun): The state of being drunk.
  • His drunkenness was a cause for concern.
• Drunkard (noun): A person who is habitually drunk.
  • The old drunkard slept on the park bench.

Synonyms

• Intoxicated: Under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Inebriated: A more formal term for drunk.
• Sottish: Stupid or foolish from drinking (similar to "drunken" in describing behavior).
• Bibulous: Fond of or marked by the consumption of alcoholic drink.

Related Phrases and Compounds

• Drunken driving: The act of operating a vehicle while impaired by alcohol (also called "drunk driving").
• Drunken stupor: A state of near-unconsciousness or insensibility resulting from excessive drinking.

Idioms and Common Collocations

• Drunken binge: A short period of excessive drinking.
  • He went on a drunken binge after losing his job.
• (As) drunk as a lord/skunk: Similes meaning very drunk. (Note: "Drunk" is used here, not "drunken").
• To be in a drunken haze: To be in a confused, dazed state caused by alcohol.

Adjective

1. given to or marked by the consumption of alcohol
   • 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