intoxicated

1 of 2

adjective

in·​tox·​i·​cat·​ed in-ˈtäk-sə-ˌkā-təd 

1

: affected by alcohol or drugs especially to the point where physical and mental control is markedly diminished

especially : drunk

2

: emotionally excited, elated, or exhilarated (as by great joy or extreme pleasure)

… the traveler who has become intoxicated by the vision of Serengeti's exotic animals …

—Harold Hayes

intoxicatedly

in-ˈtäk-sə-ˌkā-təd-lē 

adverb

intoxicated

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of intoxicate entry 1

Synonyms of intoxicated

Adjective

• drunk
• drunken
• impaired

Examples of intoxicated in a Sentence

Adjective

He appeared to be very intoxicated.

Driving while intoxicated is illegal.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, was founded in 1980 by a mother whose 13-year-old daughter was killed by an intoxicated driver. — Kent Sepkowitz, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026

But Bederow said the statute draws an important distinction between someone who unknowingly became intoxicated and someone who voluntarily consumed alcohol or drugs. — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

As the aforementioned teens found out, occupant monitoring systems can detect intoxicated passengers quite accurately. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026

Osias is accused of targeting another intoxicated man on June 28. — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for intoxicated

• abbreviated
• accelerated
• accentuated
• accommodated
• acculturated
• accumulated
• acidulated
• adjudicated
• administrated
• adulterated
• affiliated
• agglomerated

Medical Definition

intoxicated

adjective

in·​tox·​i·​cat·​ed -sə-ˌkāt-əd 

: affected by an intoxicant and especially by alcohol