dipsomaniac

[dip-suh-mey-nee-ak, -soh-]

noun

1. (no longer in technical use) a person with alcoholism or alcohol use disorder, especially characterized by an irresistible, typically periodic craving for alcoholic drinks.

Other Word Forms

• dipsomaniacal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dipsomaniac¹

First recorded in 1855–60; dipsomani(a) + -ac

Synonym Study

See inebriate.

Example Sentences

What’s more, if slowly supping your way into pre-lunchtime oblivion in the company of like-minded individuals, it is considered good manners to regularly check the glasses of your fellow dipsomaniacs and provide refills where required.

Read more on The Guardian

When gazing directly into the abyss, there’s no better pick-me-up for a maudlin, middle-aged dipsomaniac than a tag-team pair of star-struck female admirers.

Read more on The Guardian

Her sensational story emerges: she murdered her dipsomaniac husband in Borneo.

Read more on The Guardian

For what per cent. of cases of medical dipsomaniacs this constitutes a stock excuse, only medical men know.

Read more on Project Gutenberg

In each of these dreams," writes one lady, "I was a man;—in one of them a low brute, in the other a dipsomaniac.

Read more on Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• drunk 
• substance abuser www.thesaurus.com