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

The meat is tender and juicy, topped with the same queso fresco and pickled onions as the chicken taco. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Jan. 2025

Cut the meat and cheeses into chunks or slices to toss with a spring mix, and add anything pickled as a garnish, as in this strawberry salad with feta, arugula, and pickled red onions, or this deviled egg salad with pickled vegetables. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Jan. 2025

The yams were cut into thick, steak-like circles and topped with pickled shallots. —Kaitlyn Rosati, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2025

The falafel was flavorful and the pickled onions added a nice tanginess. —Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 2 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pickled

adjective

pick·​led

: preserved with pickle