addiction

[ uh-dik-shuhn ]

/ əˈdɪk ʃən /

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See synonyms for addiction on Thesaurus.com

noun

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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Origin of addiction

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

usage note for addiction

See addict.

OTHER WORDS FROM addiction

o·ver·ad·dic·tion, noun

Words nearby addiction

adder's-mouth, adder's-tongue, add fuel to the fire, addict, addicted, addiction, addictive, Addie, add-in, adding, adding machine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use addiction in a sentence

Don’t worry, though—with basic research skills and a solid strategy in mind, you’ll be able to sift through the noise and turn your new addiction into a more healthy habit.
Use TikTok to build the perfect workout|Sandra Gutierrez G.|September 17, 2020|Popular-Science
Still, Morris has gotten some attention by pitching himself as “the great American comeback story” — beating an opioid addiction to turn his life around.
The Trailer: The First State goes last|David Weigel|September 15, 2020|Washington Post
If you have an addiction problem, you shouldn’t put someone in a situation where they might be tempted.
Momofuku’s David Chang on the big changes the restaurant industry needs to make to survive|Beth Kowitt|September 14, 2020|Fortune
They’re areas that light up in response to images of food when a person is hungry, or to drug-related images in people with addiction.
Why do you feel lonely? Neuroscience is starting to find answers.|Amy Nordrum|September 4, 2020|MIT Technology Review

Experts say addiction has led men to spend money on khat that could have been used for their children’s education or to upgrade the quality of their family’s life.
How the Pandemic Is Saving Lives in the Horn of Africa|Eromo Egbejule|September 3, 2020|Ozy
What made you want to write a memoir now about your “addiction” to film?
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I was talking to one of my friends, who had just recently gotten over a drug addiction, who she tried to talk to about this case.
The Deal With Serial’s Jay? He’s Pissed Off, Mucks Up Our Timeline|Emily Shire|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Methamphetamine addiction is central to more than one story.
This Week’s Hot Reads: December 22, 2014|Mythili Rao|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I had graduated NYU just a few years earlier and begun a career in publishing, but the addiction got the best of me.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison|Daniel Genis|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The lure and addiction of gaming—which went back to pinball, of course—became a sensation with Asteroids.
‘Asteroids’ & The Dawn of the Gamer Age|David Owen|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is most frequent among those whose addiction to alcohol for years has caused repeated paroxysms of delirium tremens.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
But non-drug addiction is a major crime against the state of Omega.
The Status Civilization|Robert Sheckley
Bagsby was a punchy man, with a bald head, and a nose which betokened his habitual addiction to the fiery grape of Portugal.
Tales from Blackwood|Various
Addiction to the practice of occult arts had evidently become general in the now semi-orientalized city.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6|Various
The addiction to sports, therefore, in a peculiar degree marks an arrested development of the man's moral nature.
The Theory of the Leisure Class|Thorstein Veblen

British Dictionary definitions for addiction

addiction

/ (əˈdɪkʃən) /

noun

the condition of being abnormally dependent on some habit, esp compulsive dependency on narcotic drugs

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for addiction

addiction

[ ə-dĭk′shən ]

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. See more at withdrawal.

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

addiction

Origin of addiction

usage note for addiction

OTHER WORDS FROM addiction

Words nearby addiction

Words related to addiction

How to use addiction in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for addiction

Scientific definitions for addiction