addiction

American  

[uh-dik-shuhn] / əˈdɪk ʃən /

noun

1. the state of being compulsively committed to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.

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addiction Scientific  

/ ə-dĭk′shən /

1. A physical or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, such as a drug or alcohol. In physical addiction, the body adapts to the substance being used and gradually requires increased amounts to reproduce the effects originally produced by smaller doses.

2. See more at withdrawal

3. A habitual or compulsive involvement in an activity, such as gambling.

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Sensitive Note

See addict.

Other Word Forms

• overaddiction noun

Etymology

Origin of addiction

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin addictiōn- (stem of addictiō ) “a giving over, surrender”; addict, -ion

Example Sentences

Given my fiction addiction, I started hunting out more obscure titles.

From Los Angeles Times

Maybe someone down at the petrol station, to which William keeps sneaking to mollify his insatiable chocolate addiction and where local people do unspeakable things with the gas pumps.

From The Wall Street Journal

The social media addiction case is considered a bellwether that could shape the fate of thousands of other pending lawsuits, transforming the legal landscape for some of the world’s most powerful companies.

From Los Angeles Times

"I think it's important to differentiate between clinical addiction and problematic use," Mosseri said as he was grilled by plaintiff attorney Mark Lanier.

From Barron's

A first-of-a-kind lawsuit against Meta and Google, parent companies of Instagram and Youtube, began trial in Los Angeles Feb. 9, with the plaintiff’s attorney claiming the apps have “engineered addiction in children’s brains.”

From Salon