tipsy

[ tip-see ]

adjective

, tip·si·er, tip·si·est.

1. slightly intoxicated or drunk.
2. characterized by or due to intoxication:

   a tipsy lurch.

3. tipping, unsteady, or tilted, as if from intoxication.

tipsy

/ ˈtɪpsɪ /

adjective

1. slightly drunk
2. slightly tilted or tipped; askew

Derived Forms

• ˈtipsily, adverb
• ˈtipsiness, noun

Other Words From

• tipsi·ly adverb
• tipsi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tipsy¹

1570–80; tip ² or obsolete tip strong drink (perhaps back formation from tipple ¹ ) + -sy. Compare obsolete bumpsy in same sense

Word History and Origins

Origin of tipsy¹

C16: from tip ²

Example Sentences

She could have been hungover, plastered, tipsy — you know, any place in it.

From Salon

I was feeling good, but nowhere near tipsy.

From Salon

It discreetly calls back to J-Kwon’s 2004 hit “Tipsy,” an elder-millennial college-party staple, but does so less as a straight cover than by using the song as a reference point for nostalgia and longing for release.

From Los Angeles Times

“But I knew the world was looking for something unique. Y2K is coming back, everyone’s playing 2000’s music already, and ‘Tipsy” was a big party song.

From Los Angeles Times

Tipsy and flailing a champagne glass around in one hand, she alludes to a Detroit stereotype about cheap housing, making a wisecrack about outsiders thinking houses can be bought for $15.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• addled
• dazed
• intoxicated
• unsteady
• woozy