English Meaning & Definitions
A person who is physically or psychologically dependent on a particular substance, habit, or activity.
- âThe clinic provides specialized counseling and support for recovering drug addicts.â
- âHe is a self-confessed television addict who spends hours binge-watching series.â
To devote or surrender oneself to something habitually or compulsively.
- âIt is alarmingly easy for young people to addict themselves to video games.â
- âSocial media algorithms are specifically designed to addict users to endless scrolling.â
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for âaddictâ.
Derived from the Latin 'addictus', the past participle of 'addicere', meaning 'to deliver, award, or surrender to' (from 'ad-' to + 'dicere' to declare). In ancient Rome, an 'addictus' was a debtor who was legally bound over or enslaved to their creditor as a punishment. Over time, the meaning shifted from a legal surrender to a figurative enslavement to a habit, substance, or pursuit.
Think of someone who is 'addicted' to something because they keep 'adding' more and more of it to their daily routine.
Frequently Asked Questions About âaddictâ
1. What is the meaning of âaddictâ in English?
In English, addict (noun) is defined as: âA person who is physically or psychologically dependent on a particular substance, habit, or activity.â.
2. How do you use âaddictâ in a sentence?
âThe clinic provides specialized counseling and support for recovering drug addicts.â
4. What is the etymology and word origin of âaddictâ?
Derived from the Latin 'addictus', the past participle of 'addicere', meaning 'to deliver, award, or surrender to' (from 'ad-' to + 'dicere' to declare). In ancient Rome, an 'addictus' was a debtor who was legally bound over or enslaved to their creditor as a punishment. Over time, the meaning shifted from a legal surrender to a figurative enslavement to a habit, substance, or pursuit.
đŹđ§More English Words to English
View all English words âA measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.