the state of being compulsively committed to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.
Origin of addiction
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin addictiōn- (stem of addictiō ) “a giving over, surrender”; see addict, -ion
usage note for addiction
See addict.
OTHER WORDS FROM addiction
o·ver·ad·dic·tion,noun
Words nearby addiction
adder's-mouth, adder's-tongue, add fuel to the fire, addict, addicted, addiction, addictive, Addie, add-in, adding, adding machine
Don’t worry, though—with basic research skills and a solid strategy in mind, you’ll be able to sift through the noise and turn your new addiction into a more healthy habit.
Use TikTok to build the perfect workout|Sandra Gutierrez G.|September 17, 2020|Popular Science
Still, Morris has gotten some attention by pitching himself as “the great American comeback story” — beating an opioid addiction to turn his life around.
The Trailer: The First State goes last|David Weigel|September 15, 2020|Washington Post
If you have an addiction problem, you shouldn’t put someone in a situation where they might be tempted.
Momofuku’s David Chang on the big changes the restaurant industry needs to make to survive|Beth Kowitt|September 14, 2020|Fortune
They’re areas that light up in response to images of food when a person is hungry, or to drug-related images in people with addiction.
Why do you feel lonely? Neuroscience is starting to find answers.|Amy Nordrum|September 4, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Experts say addiction has led men to spend money on khat that could have been used for their children’s education or to upgrade the quality of their family’s life.
How the Pandemic Is Saving Lives in the Horn of Africa|Eromo Egbejule|September 3, 2020|Ozy
What made you want to write a memoir now about your “addiction” to film?
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I had graduated NYU just a few years earlier and begun a career in publishing, but the addiction got the best of me.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison|Daniel Genis|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The lure and addiction of gaming—which went back to pinball, of course—became a sensation with Asteroids.
‘Asteroids’ & The Dawn of the Gamer Age|David Owen|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Those suffering from addiction in the streets risk disease, overdose, and death.
World Leaders' Proposal for Winning the War on Drugs: Legalize It!|Abby Haglage|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Addiction is a human problem, and this is the Native American version of it.
Sherman Alexie on His New Film, the Redskins, and Why It's OK to Laugh at His Work|William O’Connor|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The man's purplish red face, his heavy eyelids, the nervous twitchings, all spoke of his addiction to drink.
The Mystery of the Yellow Room|Gaston Leroux
No nation, indeed, can reproach another nation with its addiction to magic without in an equal degree condemning itself.
Magic and Witchcraft|Anonymous
Perhaps the ordinary public has seldom been more unjust than in its estimate of Coleridge's addiction to opium.
The Philosophy of Natural Theology|William Jackson
Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent.
Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson|Thomas Jefferson
Addiction crowds out friendship, ambition, moral conviction, and reduces all the richness of life to a single destructive desire.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006|Various
British Dictionary definitions for addiction
addiction
/ (əˈdɪkʃən) /
noun
the condition of being abnormally dependent on some habit, esp compulsive dependency on narcotic drugs
What’s Wrong With The Word “Addict”?The use of the word "addict" is a prime example of how language evolves as society and social awareness do. Why is it seen as stigmatizing now, and how do we use language to rectify that?
A physical or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, such as a drug or alcohol. In physical addiction, the body adapts to the substance being used and gradually requires increased amounts to reproduce the effects originally produced by smaller doses. See more at withdrawal.
A habitual or compulsive involvement in an activity, such as gambling.