What does drunkenly mean?
"Drunkenly" is the adverb formed from "drunken," an older English adjective meaning drunk or given to drinking. It describes the way someone behaves when affected by alcohol — moving unsteadily, speaking indistinctly, laughing too loudly, or acting with the poor judgment that intoxication brings. A person might stagger drunkenly down a street, sing drunkenly at a wedding, or wave drunkenly to a friend across a crowded room. The word appears frequently in fiction and journalism, where it efficiently conveys both a character's physical state and an atmosphere of disorder or revelry. Its tone is generally informal to neutral; it can sound comic, pathetic, or disapproving depending on the sentence around it. Writers often prefer it to longer alternatives like "in a drunken manner" because it is compact and vivid, painting the scene of intoxication through the manner of an action rather than stating it outright.
adverbIn a drunken manner; while drunk or as if affected by alcohol. It describes actions marked by the unsteadiness, slurring, or impaired judgment typical of intoxication.
- In a manner characteristic of a person who is drunk: unsteadily, incoherently, or with impaired judgment due to alcohol.
"He stumbled drunkenly out of the pub, humming an old tune."
"She swayed drunkenly on the dance floor long after the band had stopped playing."
"The old man waved drunkenly at the passing cars from his porch."
English kept both "drunk" and "drunken" for centuries — and "drunkenly" preserves the older form that most modern speakers only meet in phrases like "drunken sailor."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of drunkenly
"Drunkenly" derives from "drunken," the Middle English past participle of "drink" (Old English "druncen"), which came to function as an adjective meaning intoxicated. The adverbial suffix "-ly" was added to form this word, which has been in use since at least the Middle English period. It shares its root with related forms such as "drunkenness" and the modern adjective "drunken."
Related word forms
How drunkenly is actually used
Informal to neutral in register; common in narrative fiction and journalism. Because it implies actual intoxication, it carries a negative or comic connotation depending on context.
Easily confused with drunkenly
"Drunken" is an adjective describing something characterized by or involving drink (a drunken brawl), whereas "drunkenly" is the adverb describing how an action is performed.