alcoholic

[al-kuh-haw-lik, -hol-ik]

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adjective

of, relating to, or of the nature of alcohol.

containing or using alcohol.

caused by alcohol.

suffering from alcoholism.

preserved in alcohol.

noun

Pathology. a person suffering from alcoholism.

a person addicted to intoxicating drinks.

Nearby words

Origin of alcoholic

First recorded in 1780–90; alcohol + -ic

Related formsal·co·hol·i·cal·ly, adverbpre·al·co·hol·ic, adjectivesem·i·al·co·hol·ic, adjective

Synonym study

6. See drunkard.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for alcoholic

“No one set out to be an alcoholic,” Gil told writer Patrick Sisson.
‘The Prince of Chocolate City’: When Gil Scott-Heron Became A Music Icon|Marcus Baram|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By the time Prohibition was on the menu, we were very much an “alcoholic Republic.”
The Booze That Saved America|Kevin Bleyer|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey is manufactured by Sazerac, an alcoholic beverage company based in Metairie, La.
Europeans Recall Fireball Whiskey Over a Sweetener Also Used in Antifreeze|Tim Mak|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I did think you had to end up on skid row if you were an alcoholic.
Elmore Leonard’s Rocky Road to Fame and Fortune|Mike Lupica|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In St. Vincent, the actor plays a foulmouthed, alcoholic chain smoker with no regard for anyone but himself.
Meet Vincent McKenna, Your New Favorite Bill Murray Character|Alex Suskind|September 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For he judged them to be phantoms (alcoholic in their origin), his scruples of last night.
The Divine Fire|May Sinclair
Full—stoked with alcoholic fuel and cargoed with food, the only question remaining to disturb him was that of shelter and bed.
Heart of the West|O. Henry
Steep in a solution of common salt and alum, and after being made into paper coat with an alcoholic solution of shellac.
Paper and Printing Recipes|J. Sawtelle Ford
Except typhus fever, there is no disease in which a due administration of alcoholic stimulants may become more important.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
Freise has made use of an alcoholic extract of turnips, and Freudenberg of a similar extract of carrots.
Scurvy Past and Present|Alfred Fabian Hess

British Dictionary definitions for alcoholic

alcoholic

noun

a person affected by alcoholism

adjective

of, relating to, containing, or resulting from alcohol

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

Word Origin and History for alcoholic

alcoholic

adj.

1790, "of or pertaining to alcohol;" see alcohol + -ic. Meaning "caused by drunkenness" is attested by 1872; meaning "habitually drunk" by 1910. Noun sense of "one who is addicted to drinking in excess, chronic drunkard, old rounder" is recorded from 1891; earlier alcoholist (1888). Alcoholics Anonymous founded 1935 in Akron, Ohio, U.S. Alky is first recorded 1844 as a slang shortening of "alcoholic liquor;" 1960 in the sense of "a drunkard."

Medicine definitions for alcoholic

alcoholic

[ăl′kə-hô′lĭk]

adj.

Related to or resulting from alcohol.

Containing or preserved in alcohol.

Suffering from alcoholism.

n.

A person who drinks alcoholic substances habitually and to excess or who suffers from alcoholism.

alcoholic

adjective

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of alcoholic

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for alcoholic

alcoholic

noun

adjective

alcoholic

alcoholic

adj.

n.