intoxicating

American  

[in-tok-si-key-ting] / ɪnˈtɒk sɪˌkeɪ tɪŋ /

adjective

1. causing or capable of causing intoxication.

   intoxicating beverages.

2. exhilarating; exciting.

   an intoxicating idea.

---

intoxicating British  

/ ɪnˈtɒksɪˌkeɪtɪŋ /

adjective

1. (of an alcoholic drink) producing in a person a state ranging from euphoria to stupor, usually accompanied by loss of inhibitions and control; inebriating

2. stimulating, exciting, or producing great elation

---

Other Word Forms

• intoxicatingly adverb
• nonintoxicating adjective
• nonintoxicatingly adverb
• unintoxicating adjective

Etymology

Origin of intoxicating

First recorded in 1625–35; intoxicat(e) + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Besson innovates with a subplot about Dracul’s foray into the world of perfume as he develops an intoxicating fragrance in Florence using French lavender, testing the potion on the pre-Revolution socialites in towering white-powdered wigs.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

That's what makes this season so intoxicating; so much jeopardy, so much unpredictability and so many teams who have come to the party.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026

This Christian-bro gym culture offers many young men an intoxicating sense of purpose, one in which the pursuit of conventional masculinity is given a kind of divine backing.

From Slate • Jan. 22, 2026

The stompers were a part of an elite excursion headed by the Sonoma County Winegrowers that brings “campers” willing to pay big bucks to experience the draining, and intoxicating, work of making wine.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

There is something about riding a unicorn, for those people who still can, which is unlike any other experience: exhilarating and intoxicating and fine.

From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman

Related Words

• exciting
• exhilarating
• heady
• stimulating