addict
Sometimes Offensive.
a person who has become physically or psychologically dependent on a chemical substance: The leader of the addiction recovery center is, importantly, a self-identified former drug addict.
a person with an uncontrolled compulsion to continue engaging in an activity despite suffering negative personal or professional consequences: The funding is for treatment programs for sex addicts and pathological gamblers.
a devoted fan; enthusiast; devotee: She’s a real baseball addict.My kids are manga addicts.
to cause to become physically or psychologically dependent on an addictive substance, as alcohol or a narcotic.The documentary claimed that the tobacco industry used marketing techniques to addict new generations of children.
to habituate or abandon (oneself) to something compulsively or obsessively: It can be hard to read a writer addicted to the use of high-flown language. There was a lot of worry about children becoming addicted to video games.
Origin of addict
1usage note For addict
Addiction is the complicated result of genetic predisposition intersecting with dysfunctional behavior, neurochemical modification, environmental factors, and social influences. Many major medical associations treat addiction as a disease, in part because it is a chronic condition that is demonstrably present in a person’s neurophysiology.
Medical professionals, specialists, and advocates in the addiction treatment and recovery community suggest using language that focuses on the whole person and specifically mentions addiction or addictive behaviors only when those details are relevant. As an alternative to calling someone an addict or alcoholic , describe that person as someone who is addicted to painkillers , an individual with drug addiction , a person who drinks alcohol excessively , or someone who uses amphetamines .
Labels matter. People who have an addiction are human beings, first and foremost. They should not be reduced by the label addict or alcoholic to be defined by a single facet of their complex humanity.
Other words for addict
Other words from addict
- ad·dict·ing, adjective
- non·ad·dict, noun
- non·ad·dict·ing, adjective
Words Nearby addict
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use addict in a sentence
“Ninth House,” by Leigh BardugoIn Bardugo’s engrossing fantasy thriller, a recovering addict lands a full ride to Yale in exchange for keeping an eye on the supernatural — and dangerous — activities of the school’s secret societies.
October paperback releases: 14 books to read now | Stephanie Merry | October 30, 2020 | Washington PostPerpetual connectivity has led to a plethora of early social media apps that are designed to addict and distract us.
I remember having this strategy of muttering loudly to myself in hopes that people would think that I was either a heroin addict or otherwise insane and leave me alone.
You never completely eliminate something you learned that young, but you can learn to recognize it in yourself and take action to avoid it in the future, not unlike a recovering addict in a 12-step program.
Coronado Isn’t Immune From National Issues Like Racism | Scott Douthwright | August 31, 2020 | Voice of San Diego“The judge was in a T-shirt in his basement and he grew a beard during the pandemic,” she says, laughing, and adds that one addict made her required court appearance while lying in bed and smoking a cigarette.
He cast her as Hope, an ex-addict with an impressive pair of fake chompers—the result of years of drug abuse.
Jena Malone’s Long, Strange Trip From Homelessness to Hollywood Stardom | Marlow Stern | December 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey were getting more imaginative,” a pawn shop owner thinks of his addict customers in “Back of Beyond.
He was an on-and-off drug addict and sometimes a criminal; he was a collector of switchblades and vintage Disney T-shirts.
‘All Good Cretins Go to Heaven’: Dee Dee Ramone’s Twisted Punk Paintings | Melissa Leon | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBecause they agree that Ty Burrell looks like Jon Hamm if Jon Hamm were a crack addict?
The Latest "Celebrities Read Mean Tweets" | Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video | November 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIf you are a real poet, you are hooked more deeply than any narcotics addict could possibly be on heroin.
Stephen King, “Falling,” and My Father’s Poetry | Christopher Dickey | September 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAs soon as he mentioned the fact that Ansaldo's assistant Marina was a morphine addict, Santiago interrupted him.
The Five Arrows | Allan ChaseThe streets were almost deserted, except for some prowler or desperation-driven drug addict.
Police Your Planet | Lester del ReyNor is he allowed to prescribe narcotics for an addict without decreasing the dosage.
The Opium Monopoly | Ellen Newbold La MotteThe Cure was a brief hell, but it was fair payment for having had his fun, and if the addict had any guts he would face it.
The Man Who Staked the Stars | Charles DyeAnd it is a very risky thing for a woman to marry an addict with the idea of reforming him.
Woman | William J. Robinson
British Dictionary definitions for addict
(tr; usually passive often foll by to) to cause (someone or oneself) to become dependent (on something, esp a narcotic drug)
a person who is addicted, esp to narcotic drugs
informal a person who is devoted to something: a jazz addict
Origin of addict
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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