pickled

adjective

pick·​led ˈpi-kəld 

1

: preserved in or cured with pickle

pickled herring

2

: drunk sense 1a

gets thoroughly pickled before dinner

—New Yorker

Synonyms

• besotted
• blasted [slang]
• blind
• blitzed [slang]
• blotto [slang]
• bombed
• boozy
• canned [slang]
• cockeyed
• crocked
• drunk
• drunken
• fried
• gassed
• hammered [slang]
• high
• impaired
• inebriate
• inebriated
• intoxicated
• juiced [slang]
• lit
• lit up
• loaded [slang]
• looped
• oiled [slang]
• pie-eyed
• plastered
• potted [slang]
• ripped [slang]
• sloshed [slang]
• smashed [slang]
• sottish
• soused
• sozzled
• squiffed
• squiffy
• stewed
• stiff
• stinking [slang]
• stoned
• tanked [slang]
• tiddly [chiefly British]
• tight
• tipsy
• wasted [slang]
• wet
• wiped out [slang]

Examples of pickled in a Sentence

He got pickled at the office party.

I must have been rather pickled when I agreed to your stupid scheme.

Recent Examples on the Web

These small, sweet pickled peppers are perfectly crunchy and tangy with just a bit of heat to keep things interesting. —The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 10 Mar. 2025

These small tapas-like bites are often skewered with a toothpick and include everything from spider crab and seared foie gras to the classic Gilda (anchovy, olive, and pickled pepper). —Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2025

The soft baguette was stuffed with juicy chicken breast in a yellow curry sauce, onions, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeño and sweet pickled daikon and carrots. —Kim Bojórquez, Axios, 14 Feb. 2025

Here are a few options to consider: Add olives or pickled banana peppers for even more bright, briny flavor. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pickled

• prickled
• tickled
• trickled

Kids Definition

pickled

adjective

pick·​led

: preserved with pickle