What does ebriety mean?
Ebriety is a formal English noun meaning the state of being drunk — intoxication caused by alcohol. It derives from the Latin ebrietas, from ebrius, meaning drunk, the same root that gives us inebriate and inebriation. In modern usage the word is relatively rare and literary or clinical in register: it appears more often in historical texts, legal writing, and medical contexts than in everyday conversation, where terms like drunkenness or intoxication predominate. Its connotations are largely neutral, describing a condition rather than passing moral judgment, though its formality can lend a detached or ironic flavor. A memorable feature of the word is that it rhymes with its direct opposite, sobriety, making the two easy to contrast in writing. Writers may choose ebriety precisely for this elegance or for the elevated tone it lends to descriptions of drinking and its effects.
nounThe state of being drunk; intoxication from alcohol.
- The condition of being intoxicated with alcohol; drunkenness.
"The diarist recorded, with wry precision, each episode of ebriety that marked his university years."
"The physician attributed the patient's falls to recurring episodes of ebriety."
"In his memoir, he writes candidly about years spent drifting between sobriety and ebriety."
Rarely used in the plural; ebriety is almost always treated as an uncountable noun denoting a state or condition.
"The biography catalogued the writer's many ebrieties with unsparing honesty."
Ebriety rhymes perfectly with its opposite, sobriety — a linguistic coincidence that makes the pair unforgettable.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ebriety
Ebriety comes from the Latin ebrietas, meaning drunkenness, derived from ebrius, drunk. The word entered English in the early modern period, by the 16th century, alongside related forms such as inebriate and inebriety, which share the same Latin root. Its counterpart sobriety comes from the unrelated Latin sobrius, yet the two happen to rhyme in English.
How ebriety is actually used
Ebriety is a formal, somewhat literary or medical term; in everyday speech, words like drunkenness or intoxication are far more common. It carries a neutral to slightly clinical tone rather than a strongly judgmental one.
Easily confused with ebriety
Sobriety means the opposite of ebriety — the state of not being drunk — despite the two words rhyming and sharing a similar form.