Definition

1. Noun:
   • The state of being intoxicated by alcohol: Drunkenness refers to the condition where a person's physical and mental faculties are impaired due to consuming an excessive amount of alcoholic beverages.
   • The habit or condition of being frequently intoxicated: Drunkenness can also describe the chronic state of habitual excessive drinking, often associated with addiction.
   • The act of drinking to excess: It can denote the specific act of consuming alcohol immoderately.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • His slurred speech and unsteady walk were clear signs of drunkenness.
  • The law prohibits operating a vehicle while in a state of drunkenness.
  • Years of drunkenness had severely damaged his liver.

Advanced Usage

• "In a state of drunkenness": A formal phrase describing the condition of being drunk.

  • He was arrested for disorderly conduct while in a state of drunkenness.

• "Public drunkenness": A legal term for the offense of being visibly intoxicated in a public place.

  • The city ordinance fines individuals for public drunkenness.

Variants and Related Words

• Drunken (adj): Describing someone who is drunk or a state caused by alcohol.
  • A drunken argument.
• Drunkard (n): A person who is habitually drunk.
  • The old drunkard stumbled out of the bar.

Synonyms

• Intoxication: The state of being drunk.
• Inebriation: Formal term for drunkenness.
• Insobriety: The condition of not being sober.

Related Phrases

• To be in one's cups: An idiom meaning to be drunk.
  • He's always in his cups by midnight.
• To tie one on: An informal idiom meaning to get drunk.
  • He went out last night and really tied one on.

Notes on Meaning

• Temporary State vs. Habit: The word "drunkenness" can refer to a single, acute episode of intoxication or a long-term pattern of behavior (alcoholism). The context usually clarifies which meaning is intended.
• Legal and Medical Contexts: In legal contexts, it often refers to the impaired state itself. In medical or social contexts, it frequently refers to the chronic condition of alcohol dependence.

Noun

1. the act of drinking alcoholic beverages to excess
   • drink was his downfall
2. habitual intoxication; prolonged and excessive intake of alcoholic drinks leading to a breakdown in health and an addiction to alcohol such that abrupt deprivation leads to severe withdrawal symptoms
3. a temporary state resulting from excessive consumption of alcohol