-holic

American  

1. variant of -aholic.

   chocoholic.

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-holic British  

suffix

1. indicating a person having an abnormal desire for or dependence on

   workaholic

   chocoholic

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Usage

What does -holic mean? The combining form -holic is used like a suffix meaning "a person who has an addiction to or obsession with some object or activity." It is occasionally used in slang and "nonce words," that is, words coined and used only for a particular occasion.The form -holic is derived from the ending of alcoholic, a sometimes offensive term for a person with alcoholism or alcohol use disorder. The term alcoholic and its derivations that use the form -aholic are sometimes considered offensive; referring to people with addictions as addicts or alcoholics reduces them to a label—one that has long connoted moral failure and weakness of character—and to a single trait. You can learn more about the recent changes we made to our definition of alcoholic here.What are variants of -holic?The form -holic is a variant of -aholic, which loses its -a- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on -aholic.

Etymology

Origin of -holic

C20: on the pattern of alcoholic