addiction

[ uh-dik-shuhn ]

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.

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

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

How to use addiction in a sentence

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 | THE 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 | THE DAILY BEAST
Methamphetamine addiction is central to more than one story.
This Week’s Hot Reads: December 22, 2014 | Mythili Rao | December 22, 2014 | THE 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 | THE 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 | THE 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.

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