Ivres

Ivres is the plural form of the French adjective ivre, meaning intoxicated or drunk. It is used to describe people or animals affected by alcohol or other intoxicants. In standard sentences, it agrees with the subject: des hommes ivres, ils sont ivres, or ivres de joie in metaphorical uses, where the phrase indicates strong emotional excess rather than literal intoxication.

The root is Latin ebrius, via Old French ivre; the related noun is ivresse, which denotes the state of drunkenness. The term ivres often appears in literary or journalistic styles to convey intensity, exuberance, or irrational behavior associated with intoxication, as in ivres de joie or ivres de colère.

In contemporary usage, ivre and ivres are common in everyday French, while the noun ivresse remains the standard term for the condition itself. The adjective also appears in historical or ceremonial contexts to describe ritual or ceremonial intoxication in certain texts.

See also: ivresse; ebriété; intoxication; French grammar.