Synonyms

addicted

American

[uh-dik-tid] / əˈdɪk tɪd /

adjective

compulsively committed or helplessly drawn to a practice or habit or to something psychologically or physically habit-forming (often used in combination).

an intensive program for opioid-addicted physicians.

Sensitive Note

See addict.

Other Word Forms

addictedness noun
nonaddicted adjective
unaddicted adjective
well-addicted adjective

Etymology

Origin of addicted

First recorded in 1550–60; addict + -ed ²

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.

In a California case, lawyers argued that Instagram and YouTube designed features meant to get their client, a young woman identified as KGM, addicted to social media, including infinite scroll, autoplay, and incessant notifications.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

People spend a lot of time scrolling through videos on social media, addicted to their phones instead of interacting with their friends and family.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

YouTube’s lawyers argued that she didn’t spend enough time on the platform to be addicted.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

Announcing the plans, Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler of the Social Democrats said the government could not stand by and watch as social media made children "addicted and also often ill".

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

He’d become kind of addicted to the things since buying some in Bologna.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023