20 Alternative Words For “Drunk” That Might Come In Handy

Hey, we’ve all been there…and many of us may end up there again. So here are some helpful ways to explain last night’s unfortunate condition more colorfully.

1. 3 Sheets to the wind – (as in they were three sheets to the wind). We thought we’d start with a classic and this expression for drunkenness is definitely that. Turns out it has 19^th century nautical origins, and refers to the ropes which hold the corners of the sails taut, so that they can catch wind and move the ship forward. If any of those lines becomes loose and start flapping in wind the ship may begin careening all over the place just as you did last weekend.
2. Under The Influence – Legal terminology that over the years had made it into the pop lexicon. Perfect for those in polite society who would never explain to friends that they got “fucked up” last night.
3. Fucked Up – Probably one of the most commonly used expressions for “getting high” in the English-speaking world. There’s also “messed up” which we see as just a more polite variation.
4. Inebriated/ Intoxicated – is explained in most dictionaries as “affected by alcohol (or drugs) to the point where physical and mental control is markedly diminished,” – not that any of us have ever been there.
5. High – We think what was once commonly used to explain alcohol intoxication has morphed in the sixties into something that more associated with drug behavior (not that alcohol’s not a drug, but you know what we mean).
6. Tipsy – more commonly used to explain being only slightly drunk rather than having gotten completely “wasted.”
7. Arseholed – Given this word’s cockney origins we’re assuming you can grasp its phonetics, so we don’t have to detail this any further.
8. Pissed – See “arseholed”
9. Tits Up – This came our way from some Australian travelers we were drinking with…But as we dug further into intoxication terminology, we discovered there was a sub-genre of these kind of anatomical references (see arseholed and pissed). There’s also, ass out, butt-toast, shit-faced, legless.
10. Blotto – Turns out this vintage piece of intoxication slang dates back to the British military around World War I and drinking that’s blots out one’s memory. And while we’re on the subject of intoxication slang that may have wartime roots, there’s also annulated, blitzed, bombed, gassed
11. Loaded – a classic that some say can be traced back to the prohibition era, for obvious reasons.
12. Hammered – This slang term for intoxicated can be traced back to the Mad Men era, the early 1950’s.
13. Wasted – See “tipsy”
14. Gattered – Modern British slang, especially common in the North of England. The origin is unclear, but it generally means very drunk.
15. Munted – A modern slang term popular in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. It means to be extremely drunk, possibly derived from the word munter, meaning something ugly or messed up.
16. Zozzled – A 1920s American slang term likely influenced by the slang term sozzled. The playful, alliterative sound captures the unsteady state of intoxication.
17. Stocious – Scottish slang, derived from stooshie, meaning “commotion” or “uproar”. To be stocious is to be wildly, uproariously drunk.
18. Borborygmatic – Derives from the Greek borborygmos, meaning “a rumbling in the stomach”. The term was whimsically repurposed to describe a drunkard’s grumbling, slurring speech.
19. Crapulous – It comes from the Latin word crapula, which means “intoxication” or “drunkenness”. First used in the 1530s, it refers to feeling ill from overindulgence, especially in alcohol or food.
20. Fuddled – Late Middle English, from the verb fuddle, meaning to confuse or bewilder. Originally referred to being dazed or muddled, especially by drink.

The truth is, alternatives for the word “drunk” (which has its own origins in German phonetics and Old English) are as fluid as they are seemingly endless.

And here’s a word that maybe it’s time to consider…Sober.