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

Active Time: 9 mins Total Time: 9 mins Yield: 2 cups As if one type of pepper weren't enough, three pops of pepper give this spicy pimiento cheese different levels of heat: Fresh jalapeños bring fruity, bright heat; pickled jalapeños offer softer spice; and cayenne pepper lends earthier heat. —Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 7 Apr. 2025

The drink is garnished with a trio of pickled onions for an extra kick of savoriness. —Kevin Gray, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025

The food they were given were old Army rations, like Vienna sausages, pickled cabbage. —Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025

The caption of the video spills all the secret ingredients: topped with cream cheese frosting and filled with chili crisp, pickled jalapeño, creme fraiche, and lap cheong (or Chinese sausage). —Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Apr. 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