workaholic
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of workaholic
Explanation
A workaholic is someone who can't stop working. Workaholics are obsessed with working to an unhealthy degree. Just as an alcoholic has an unhealthy addiction to alcohol, workaholics have an unhealthy addiction to work. Wanting to work all the time might sound like a harmless desire, but for some people it's a real problem. A workaholic goes to work early and stays late. A workaholic might have trouble relaxing. Many workaholics neglect their families and friends because all they care about is work. Workaholics take a good thing — working — too far.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
For the CEO, a self-confessed workaholic, the key to InSilico’s success lies in China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Musk, who wears the mantle of a workaholic proudly, has often said he's not in business simply to make money - claims he repeated recently with regard to his Twitter takeover.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Carlin, who now produces Heidecker’s “Office Hours Live” podcast, described him as a workaholic and “unflappable.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Having taken them to the Champions League for the first time since 1982-83, when it was the European Cup - and then to last season's quarter-finals - workaholic Emery has transformed Villa.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2026
“What’s it like going from being a workaholic to this?”
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
I feel like we all subconsciously know that it’s not good for us to be relentless workaholics, to always be striving, always moving our own goal posts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
She believes workaholics are often seeking to avoid difficult feelings like low self-esteem.
From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2024
We were two workaholics with a shared love for tragedy.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2023
To the average European, the U.S. is a country of workaholics who have an unhealthy work-life balance.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2022
Like “Halt and Catch Fire,” the drama set amid the personal-computing revolution, “Mankind” is about passionate workaholics who have few boundaries between their work and home life.
From New York Times ● Jun. 9, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
