addict

American  

[ad-ikt, uh-dikt] / ˈæd ɪkt, əˈdɪkt /

noun

1. Sometimes Offensive.

   1. 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.

   2. 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.

   Synonyms:

   junkie, fanatic, adherent

2. a devoted fan; enthusiast; devotee: My kids are manga addicts.

   She’s a real baseball addict.

   My kids are manga addicts.

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verb (used with object)

1. 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.

2. to habituate or abandon (oneself) to something compulsively or obsessively: There was a lot of worry about children becoming addicted to video games.

   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.

addict British  

verb

1. to cause (someone or oneself) to become dependent (on something, esp a narcotic drug)

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noun

1. a person who is addicted, esp to narcotic drugs

2. informal a person who is devoted to something

   a jazz addict

Sensitive Note

Drug and alcohol addiction was historically considered a moral failing, demonstrating a weakness of character. This disparaging connotation persists in the nouns addict and alcoholic , in spite of our evolving modern understanding of the problem. 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 Word Forms

• addicting adjective
• nonaddict noun
• nonaddicting adjective

Etymology

Origin of addict

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin addictus “assigned, surrendered,” past participle of addīcere, equivalent to ad- “toward” + dic-, variant stem of dīcere “to fix, determine”; see ad-

Explanation

If you are a cookie addict, it means you are addicted to cookies. You just can't get enough of them. Of course there are far more serious forms of addiction out there. The word addict is usually used to refer to someone who is addicted to drugs. Even good things can get you addicted. Work addicts are called workaholics. There are no words for the dangers of being addicted to reading (well, there is "biblioholism"), to the Internet, or to exercise, but those addictions are also real.

Example Sentences

There’s one antiprinciple to this: Do not invest in companies that intentionally try to addict their customers to spend more time, attention and money on them, to the detriment of those customers’ flourishing.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

Jurors on Wednesday found Instagram and YouTube liable for designing platforms that are meant to addict young users.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

But lawyers for Kaley G.M. chose a different battlefield: the design of the platforms themselves, which they argued were engineered to trap and addict young users.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

“There is a void in my guts that can only be filled by songs,” writes Jessica Hopper, a self-described addict of lyrics and tunes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

“I’m not a drug addict, you pipsqueak,” I say.

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart

Related Words

• devotee
• enthusiast
• fanatic
• fiend
• freak
• hound
• nut