- Today's Word
Zozzled
[ZOZ-uhld]
Definition
- (adjective) An informal term meaning to be drunk or intoxicated. It can also describe someone who is in a dazed or confused state, as if under the influence of alcohol.
Example
After a long night of partying, the college students stumbled back to their dorms, completely zozzled and ready to sleep off the evening’s excesses.
Fun Fact
The exact origin of “zozzled” is unknown, but it is believed to have emerged in American slang during the early 20th century. The term might be related to the older slang word “sozzled,” which also means to be drunk or intoxicated. One theory suggests that “zozzled” could be a playful variation of “sozzled,” with the initial “z” sound adding a humorous or whimsical touch to the term. Another possibility is that “zozzled” might be a blend of “sozzled” and the word “zonked,” which means to be exhausted or in a dazed state.
(adjective) Presented in a shockingly vivid or sensational way, especially regarding unpleasant or scandalous details.
The tabloid’s lurid account of the scandal left nothing to the imagination — every uncomfortable detail splashed across the front page in breathless, unnecessary detail.
Lurid derives from the Latin luridus, meaning “pale yellow,” “wan,” or “ghastly” — originally describing the sickly, pallid color of someone in shock or the eerie glow of fire through smoke. It entered English in the 17th century carrying that same unsettling visual quality, initially used to describe ghastly or glaring light before expanding into its modern sense of sensational, shocking content that feels uncomfortably vivid and impossible to look away from.