dipsomaniac

[ dip-suh-mey-nee-ak, -soh- ]

/ ˌdɪp səˈmeɪ niˌæk, -soʊ- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dipsomaniac ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person with an irresistible craving for alcoholic drink.

Nearby words

dipsesis, dipshit, dipso, dipsogen, dipsomania, dipsomaniac, dipsosis, dipsotherapy, dipstick, dipstick test, dipsy-doodle

Origin of dipsomaniac

First recorded in 1855–60; dipsomani(a) + -ac

Related forms

dip·so·ma·ni·a·cal

[dip-suh-muh-nahy-uh-kuh l, -soh-] /ˌdɪp sə məˈnaɪ ə kəl, -soʊ-/, adjective

Synonym study

See drunkard.

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

Examples from the Web for dipsomaniac

The drunkard who drinks in spite of himself is, strictly speaking, a dipsomaniac, and is diseased and insane.
A Plea for the Criminal|James Leslie Allan Kayll
I blame her no more than I blame a dipsomaniac; I bear her no ill-will for causing the one miscarriage in my plans.
The Sixth Sense|Stephen McKenna
I liked him very much, but, unlike most Mahomedans, he was a dipsomaniac.
At the Court of the Amr|John Alfred Gray
There Grogan succeeded in convincing him of the folly of engaging in a street argument with a dipsomaniac he did not know.
Little Lost Sister|Virginia Brooks

In England a spendthrift or dipsomaniac can only be controlled when he has spent all his money.
Woman and Womanhood|C. W. Saleeby

British Dictionary definitions for dipsomaniac

dipsomaniac

/ (ˌdɪpsəʊˈmeɪnɪˌæk) /

noun

any person who has an uncontrollable and recurring urge to drink alcoholShortened form: dipso

adjective

relating to or affected with dipsomania

Derived Forms

dipsomaniacal (ˌdɪpsəʊməˈnaɪəkəl), adjective

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